Cleaning Mirrors & Lenses with Electrons (no vacuum chamber required)

Completed TRL 4 (started at 1, targeting 4)

Description

The Cleaning Lenses and Mirrored Surface with Electrons is a technology developed to provide access to large lenses and mirror structures and providing a low risk technique for cleaning their surfaces. The Cleaning Lenses and Mirrored Surfaces with Electrons tasks include: Development of Fractal Wand Geometries; Vacuum Chamber testing fo Fractal Wand Prototypes; and selection of best prototype.

Benefits

Due to long-term terrestrial storage requirements for many missions, dust and contaminants collecting on instrument surfaces are inevitable. Chemical washes pose a problem, leaving behind residues that could damage specific components. Electro-static tools, such as ion guns, are commercially available and are used in mitigation procedures; however, they may pose a hazard to surrounding electronics. However, with this tool, which gently deposits electrons onto a contaminated area, technicians can reduce the electro-static effects that ion guns generate and prevent destruction of any associated electronic instrumentation.

Details

Program	Center Innovation Fund: GSFC CIF (GSFC CIF)
Lead organization	Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
Start date	2013-02-01
End date	2013-10-01

Project contacts

Listed on TechPort itself — the most direct way to ask about this specific project.

Fred A Minetto — fred.a.minetto@nasa.gov

How to get involved

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.