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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Optical system design, analysis, and production for advanced technology systems; Proceedings of the Meeting, Innsbruck, Austria, Apr. 15-17, 1986

The present conference considers topics in the fields of optical systems design software, the design and analysis of optical systems, illustrative cases of advanced optical system design, the integration of optical designs into greater systems, and optical fabrication and testing techniques. Attention is given to an extended range diffraction-based merit function for lens design optimization, an assessment of technologies for stray light control and evaluation, the automated characterization of IR systems' spatial resolution, a spectrum of design techniques based on aberration theory, a three-field IR telescope, a large aperture zoom lens for 16-mm motion picture cameras, and the use of concave holographic gratings as monochomators. Also discussed are the use of aspherics in optical systems, glass choice procedures for periscope design, the fabrication and testing of unconventional optics, low mass mirrors for large optics, and the diamond grinding of optical surfaces on aspheric lens molds.

Fischer, Robert E.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Optical system design considerations for interplanetary platforms

Considerations fundamental to the design of optical systems for interplanetary platforms are discussed with regard to the degree that they require departures from ground-based optical technology. Spectral availability, radiation and thermal cycles, microgravity, and space transportation constraints are considered, and new optical technologies are reviewed for their potential impact on the planetary missions planned for the rest of this century.

Miller, E. A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Optical system design for a Lunar Optical Interferometer

The moon offers particular advantages for interferometry, including a vacuum environment, a large stable base on which to assemble multi-kilometer baselines, and a cold nighttime temperature to allow for passive cooling of optics for high IR sensitivity. A baseline design for a Lunar Optical Interferometer (LOI) which exploits these features is presented. The instrument operates in the visible to mid-IL region, and is designed for both astrometry and synthesis imaging. The design uses a Y-shaped array of 12 siderostats, with maximum arm lengths of about 1 km. The inner siderostats are monitored in three dimensions from a central laser metrology structure to allow for high precision astrometry. The outer siderostats, used primarily for synthesis imaging, exploit the availability of bright reference stars in order to determine the instrument geometry. The path delay function is partitioned into coarse and fine components, the former accomplished with switched banks of range mirrors monitored with an absolute laser metrology system, and the latter with a short cat's eye delay line. The back end of the instrument is modular, allowing for beam combiners for astrometry, visible and IR synthesis imaging, and direct planet detection. With 1 m apertures, the instrument will have a point-source imaging sensitivity of about 29 mag; with the laser metrology system, astrometry at the microarcsecond level will be possible.

Colavita, M. M.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Optical System Design and Integration of the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation Lidar

The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) instrument was designed, built, and tested in-house at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on December 5, 2018. GEDI is a multi-beam waveform LiDAR (light detection and ranging) designed to measure the Earth’s global tree height and canopy density using 8 laser beam ground tracks separated by roughly 600 meters. Given the ground coverage required and the 2 year mission duration, a unique optical design solution was developed. GEDI generates 8 ground sampling tracks from 3 transmitter systems viewed by a single receiver telescope, all while maximizing system optical efficiency and transmitter to receiver boresight alignment margin. The GEDI optical design, key optical components, and system level integration and testing are presented here. GEDI began 2 years of science operations in March 2019 and so far, it is meeting all of its key optical performance requirements and is returning outstanding science.

Integration↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Bridging the Gap Between Finite Element Modeling and Wavefront Analysis for Streamlined Optical System Design

Traditionally, evaluating the optical performance of mirrors derived from finite element (FEA), with third-party software requires cumbersome manual effort – which impacts efficient design optimization. This paper presents a process that seamlessly integrates FEA results with wavefront analysis software, significantly simplifying performance assessment and enabling rapid design iteration. We leverage the 4D technology interferometer and "4Sight" wavefront analysis software for performance measurement and comparison with FEA predictions. Recognizing the need for efficient data exchange, we developed an application that converts FEA data into a format compatible with 4Sight. The software takes two user-defined inputs: optical surface position and deformation information, typically provided as CSV or TXT files. Within a second, it generates an output file suitable for direct import into 4Sight, enabling immediate visualization of key optical performance metrics.

Zernike Polynomial↗
NASA NTRS1990

Evaluation of optical systems designed using the 'concentric-aplanatic' method

After reviewing third-order aberration theory, three examples are given of the design of lenses by the concentric-aplanatic method. The performance of any optical system designed with this method can be improved by releasing all the constraints one by one. After correcting for third-order aberrations, the error function can be inspected to determine if the system is dominated by third- or higher-order aberrations.

Deslis, Apostolos↗
NASA NTRS1995

Optical Systems Design for a Stratospheric Lidar System

The optical systems for the transmitter and receiver of a high-power lidar for stratospheric measurements have been designed and analyzed. The system requirements and design results are presented and explained. An important and driving factor of this design was the requirement for a small image diameter in the plane of an optical chopper to allow the high-intensity lidar returns from the lower atmosphere to be shielded from the detection system. Some results relevant to the optical performance of the system are presented. The resulting system has been constructed and is now in operation at the Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii, and is making regular measurements of stratospheric ozone, temperature, and aerosol profiles.

McDermid, I. Stuart↗
NASA NTRS1999

SPARCLE Optical System Design and Operational Characteristics

The SPAce Readiness Coherent Lidar Experiment (SPARCLE) is the first demonstration of a coherent Doppler wind lidar in space. SPARCLE will be flown aboard a space shuttle In the middle part of 2001 as a stepping stone towards the development and deployment of a long-life-time operational instrument in the later part of next decade. SPARCLE is an ambitious project that is intended to evaluate the suitability of coherent lidar for wind measurements, demonstrate the maturity of the technology for space application, and provide a useable data set for model development and validation. This paper describes the SPARCLE's optical system design, fabrication methods, assembly and alignment techniques, and its anticipated operational characteristics. Coherent detection is highly sensitive to aberrations in the signal phase front, and to relative alignment between the signal and the local oscillator beams. Consequently, the performance of coherent lidars is usually limited by the optical quality of the transmitter/receiver optical system. For SPARCLE having a relatively large aperture (25 cm) and a very long operating range (400 km), compared to the previously developed 2-micron coherent lidars, the optical performance requirements are even more stringent. In addition with stringent performance requirements, the physical and environment constraints associated with this instrument further challenge the limit of optical fabrication technologies.

Amzajerdian, Farzin↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

PACE OCI Short-Wave Infrared Detection Assembly Optical System Design, Alignment, and Environmental Test

The Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), which will be integrated with the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite, will collect science data that will be used to monitor the health of Earth’s oceans and atmosphere. The Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) Detection Assembly (SDA), built and characterized by Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL), is a subsystem of OCI consisting of 32 channels covering seven discrete optical bands of interest. A total of 16 SWIR Detection Subassemblies (SDSs) compose the SDA and house the cold optical system. The science data optical input for each SDS is supplied by a 0.22 NA multimode fiber interfacing with a fiber adapter. The diverging light from the fiber is collimated, split by a dichroic beamsplitter to two separate channels, filtered by the science filter, and then reimaged onto the single-element detectors with a final 0.76 NA. Aspheric, diamond-turned powered elements are used throughout the optical design. Fabrication and alignment tolerance analysis/budgets are balanced to ensure the optical system meets throughput requirements. All systems are aligned at ambient temperature using an InSb camera and an in-line illumination microscope system to directly image the active detector area through the science filters. Compensators used during alignment are detector focus and decenter, which are adjusted via photoetched shims in increments of 25 µm. Average focus and centering errors were less than 8 µm among all 32 flight and 10 flight spare detectors. Each SDS spectral response and conversion gain was verified at operational temperature of -65°C in vacuum.

OCI↗
NASA NTRS2019

Optical System Design with Freeforms

NASA's Space Technology Research Grant program is supporting Optical Design with Freeforms, by funding a Fellow from the University of Rochester, Jon Papa.

Howard, Joseph M.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Optical System Design and Integration of the Mercury Laser Altimeter

The Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA). developed for the 2004 MESSENGER mission to Mercury, is designed to measure the planet's topography via laser ranging. A description of the MLA optical system and its measured optical performance during instrument-level and spacecraft-level integration and testing are presented.

Ramos-Izquierdo, Luis↗
NASA NTRS1996

Optical System Design for the Next Generation Space Telescope

This report provides considerations and suggested approaches for design of the Optical Telescope Assembly and the segmented primary mirror of a Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST). Based on prior studies and hardware development, we provide data and design information on low-risk materials and hardware configurations most likely to meet low weight, low temperature and long-life requirements of the nominal 8-meter aperture NGST. We also provide preliminary data for cost and performance trades, and recommendations for technology development and demonstration required to support the system design effort.

Solomon, Leonard H.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Optical-system design for next-generation pushbroom sensors

Next-generation pushbroom sensors for earth observation require high-performance optics that provide high spatial resolution over wide fields of view. Specifically, blur diameters on the order of 10 to 15 microns are needed over 5 to 15 deg fields. In addition to this fundamental level of optical performance, other characteristics, such as spatial coregistration of spectral bands, flat focal plane, telecentricity, and workable pupil location are significant instrument design considerations. The detector-assembly design, optical line-of-sight pointing method and sensor packaging all hinge on these secondary attributes. Moreover, the need for broad spectral coverage, ranging from 0.4 to 12.5 microns, places an additional constraint on optical design. This paper presents alternative design forms that are candidates for wide-field pushbroom sensors, and discusses the instrument-design tradeoffs that are linked to the selection of these alternate optical approaches.

Mika, A. M.↗
NASA NTRS2007

The Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope (SPIRIT): Optical System Design Considerations

SPIRIT is a candidate NASA Origins Probe mission. It is a spatial and spectral interferometer operating at 4 K with an operating wavelength range 25 - 400 microns. This paper describes the various components of the candidate optical system, including telescopes, pointing and tracking optics, along with their functions. Some of the tradeoffs involved in selecting various components, with their particular characteristics, are described.

Wilson, Mark E.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Optical system design alternatives for the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer-Tilt (MODIS-T) for the Earth Observing System (EOS)

The MODIS consists of two synergistic sensors with a total of 104 spectral bands in the 0.4-14.2-micron range. MODIS-T (Tilt) is one of these sensors. It is a 64-channel imaging spectrometer with a required 10 nm spectral resolution (FWHM) in the 400 to 1040 nm spectral range. The system will have a 1 km IFOV, a wide scan for global coverage in three days, and be capable of being pointed fore and aft of nadir by + or - 50 degrees.

Maymon, Peter W.↗
NASA NTRS1969

Improved method of optical design

Optical system designed by third order aberration theory is significantly improved by placing it into a ray deviation design program composed of two distinct computer programs. Tests were conducted on telescope systems, an ultraviolet relay lens, and a four lens corrector system.

Howell, B. J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Optical system storage design with diffractive optical elements

Optical data storage systems are gaining widespread acceptance due to their high areal density and the ability to remove the high capacity hard disk from the system. In magneto-optical read-write systems, a small rotation of the polarization state in the return signal from the MO media is the signal which must be sensed. A typical arrangement used for detecting these signals and correcting for errors in tracking and focusing on the disk is illustrated. The components required to achieve these functions are listed. The assembly and alignment of this complex system has a direct impact on cost, and also affects the size, weight, and corresponding data access rates. As a result, integrating these optical components and improving packaging techniques is an active area of research and development. Most designs of binary optic elements have been concerned with optimizing grating efficiency. However, rigorous coupled wave models for vector field diffraction from grating surfaces can be extended to determine the phase and polarization state of the diffracted field, and the design of polarization components. A typical grating geometry and the phase and polarization angles associated with the incident and diffracted fields are shown. In our current stage of work, we are examining system configurations which cascade several polarization functions on a single substrate. In this design, the beam returning from the MO disk illuminates a cascaded grating element which first couples light into the substrate, then introduces a quarter wave retardation, then a polarization rotation, and finally separates s- and p-polarized fields through a polarization beam splitter. The input coupler and polarization beam splitter are formed in volume gratings, and the two intermediate elements are zero-order elements.

Kostuk, Raymond K.↗