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Observatory for Planetary Investigations from the Stratosphere

Completed TRL 9 (started at 9, targeting 9)

Description

The Observatory for Planetary Investigation from the Stratosphere (OPIS) project demonstrated the ability of the Wallops Arc Second Pointing (WASP) system to provide a stable platform for planetary observations during an October 2014 flight. The OPIS project will refurbish the OPIS imaging system for future use and analyze the results from the test flight. The system will be maintained for use by the planetary community through ROSES funded efforts.

We will build on work being done at Wallops Flight Facility to design a high precision pointing system, known as the Wallops Arc-Second Pointer (WASP) Project, and the FY14 IRAD effort to build, integrate and fly the Observatory for Planetary Investigations from the Stratosphere (OPIS) with the WASP system. This integrated system would be an ideal platform for planetary observations and for rapid testing of instrument designs at low TRL. In an FY12 IRAD, we studied a high-altitude mission concept and in FY14 we built an imaging system (OPIS) to demonstrate the pointing stability of the WASP system.

Benefits

N/A

Details

Technology areaRobotic Systems > Mobility > Surface Mobility
ProgramCenter Independent Research & Development: GSFC IRAD (GSFC IRAD)
Lead organizationGoddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
Start date2013-10-01
End date2015-10-31

Project contacts

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How to get involved

This is a mature technology (TRL 9) — 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.

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