Next generation optical instruments and space experiment based on the LDEF thermal control surfaces experiment (S0069)

Abstract

The Thermal Control Surfaces Experiment (TCSE) was a successful experiment to study the effects of the space environment on thermal control surfaces using in-space optical properties measurements combined with post-flight analyses. The TCSE reflectometer performed well on the LDEF mission demonstrating that a portable compact integrating sphere spectroreflectometer can be built that is rugged and space rated. Since the retrieval of the TCSE package from space, several other instruments have evolved from its pioneering technologies. These are the Optical Properties Monitor (OPM), the Laboratory Portable SpectroReflectometer (LPSR), and the Space Portable SpectroReflectometer (SPSR). These instruments and experiment packages are described.