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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2007

Mission Studies for the Terrestrial Planet Finder - Occulter (TPF-O)

The 2000 decadal survey committee recommended a planet-finding telescope (TPF) capable of detecting and characterizing terrestrial planets orbiting nearby stars and of carrying out "revolutionary" astrophysics research. In response, we have carried out mission studies for TPF-O, a promising version of TPF that makes use of a "regular" telescope plus a free-flying occulter that blocks light from the target star while leaving planet light unattenuated. Our mission studies include design reference missions to carry out both planetary and general-astrophysics research. We will report on the results of these studies and describe their implications for the flight system and ground system.

Heap, S.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Adaptive Nulling for the Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer

Deep, stable starlight nulls are needed for the direct detection of Earth-like planets and require careful control of the intensity and phases of the beams that are being combined. We are testing a novel compensator based on a deformable mirror to correct the intensity and phase at each wavelength and polarization across the nulling bandwidth. We have successfully demonstrated intensity and phase control using a deformable mirror across a 100nm wide band in the near-IR, and are in the process of conducting experiments in the mid-IR wavelengths. This paper covers the current results and in the mid-IR.

amplitude and phase correction↗
NASA NTRS2003

Mid-infrared nuller for Terrestrial Planet Finder: design progress and results

Nulling interferometry shows promise as a technique enabling investigation of faint objects such as planets and exo-zodiacal dust around nearby stars. At Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a nulling beam combiner based on a design built for the Keck Observatory in Hawaii has been used to pursue deep and stable narrowband nulls. We describe the design and layout of the Modified Mach Zehnder TPF nuller, and the results achieved in the laboratory to date. We report the stabilized 900,000 nulls achieved using a CO2 laser, and discuss the performance limitations and way forward to the deep, broadband nulls required for a space-borne nulling interferometer mission. We show briefly the results from Keck breadboard experiments: broadband transient nulls centered around 10.6 micron have been achieved ranging between 17500 at 18% bandwidth and 7500:1 at 29% bandwidth.

Serabyn, E.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer 2005

Activities Affected by Budget Adjustment: Formation Acquisition Sensor, Cryo Structures, Cryo Delay Line, Cryocooler, Design Team, System Modeling. Other Activities include: Formation Flying, Cryogenic Operations, Starlight suppression, and System Design and Modeling.

interferometry↗
NASA NTRS2003

Artemis: A Stratospheric Planet Finder

The near-space environment of the stratosphere is far superior to terrestrial sites for optical and infrared observations. New balloon technologies will enable flights and safe recovery of 2-ton payloads at altitudes of 35 km for 100 days and longer. The combination of long flights and superb observing conditions make it possible to undertake science programs that otherwise could only be done from orbit. We propose to fly an "Ultra-Hubble" Stratospheric Telescope (UHST) equipped with a coronagraphic camera and active optics at 35 km to search for planets around 200 of the nearest stars. This ULDB mission will establish the frequency of solar-type planetary systems, and provide targets to search for earth-like planets.

Ford, H. C.↗
NASA NTRS2006

The Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph Optical Surface Requirements

Coronagraph telescope and instrument optics for spatial frequencies within and beyond the spatial control bandwidth of the wave front control system. Three different wave front control systems are considered: a zero-path difference Michelson interferometer with two deformable mirrors at a pupil image; a sequential pair of deformable mirrors with one placed at a pupil image; and the Visible Nuller spatially-filtered controller. We show that the optical bandwidth limits the useful outer working angle.

telescope requirements↗