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Completed TRL 3 (started at 2, targeting 3)
This IRAD develops and tests a laser position sensing concept to provide precise knowledge of the position of electric field spheres at the end of long booms from which information regarding the upper atmosphere properties can be determined, as well as information regarding the sphere position. As part of this development, it also designs and builds a prototype, “stand alone” measurement using 1m deployed “vanes” to measure the winds and neutral density in the mesosphere/lower thermosphere on sounding rockets.
This IRAD enables a new measurement technique which provides information regarding (1) positional variations of a physically separated sensor in space and (2) upper atmospheric variations for sensors in near-earth geospace under certain conditions. It is anticipated that this information can be acquired with very small resources (compact, inexpensive laser devices). This device could be used to monitor the displacement of physically separated sensors including a variety of deployables on different spacecraft types, providing valuable engineering and scientific information.
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