Mirrorlette Arrays

Completed

Description

Test optical tolerancing and mirror quality of a 50x50 mirrorlet array for use in future LCAS rocket and Explorer proposals. Procure and test a mirrorlette array that has multiple advantages for future Heliophysics, Astrophysics, and Earth Science missions in simultaneously obtaining 2 spatial and 1 spectral dimensions of information.

Purchase mirrolettes (Delivery by mid-Nov 2011) and other off-the-shelf components with existing Mercury lamp and CCD to setup optical design. Use masks and translation stages to quantify the optical quality and tolerancing of the different mirrorlet angles compared to specs.

Benefits

This technology has multiple advantages for future Heliophysics, Astrophysics, and Earth Science missions

Details

Technology area	Sensors and Instruments > Remote Sensing Instruments and Sensors > Detectors and Focal Planes
Program	Center Independent Research & Development: GSFC IRAD (GSFC IRAD)
Lead organization	Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
Start date	2011-10-01
End date	2012-09-30

Project contacts

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

Nikolaos Paschalidis — nikolaos.paschalidis@nasa.gov
Phillip C Chamberlin — phillip.c.chamberlin@nasa.gov
Jeffrey W Kruk — jeffrey.w.kruk@nasa.gov
Qian Gong — qian.gong-1@nasa.gov

How to get involved

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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.