Engineering topics

Rud, Mayer

Publications and source records attributed to Rud, Mayer.

22 records · Page 2

NASA NTRS2010

Advanced Wavefront Sensing and Control Testbed (AWCT)

The Advanced Wavefront Sensing and Control Testbed (AWCT) is built as a versatile facility for developing and demonstrating, in hardware, the future technologies of wave front sensing and control algorithms for active optical systems. The testbed includes a source projector for a broadband point-source and a suite of extended scene targets, a dispersed fringe sensor, a Shack-Hartmann camera, and an imaging camera capable of phase retrieval wavefront sensing. The testbed also provides two easily accessible conjugated pupil planes which can accommodate the active optical devices such as fast steering mirror, deformable mirror, and segmented mirrors. In this paper, we describe the testbed optical design, testbed configurations and capabilities, as well as the initial results from the testbed hardware integrations and tests.

active optics↗

NASA NTRS2010

Large Telescope Segmented Primary Mirror Alignment

A document discusses a broadband (white light) point source, located at the telescope Cassegrain focus, which generates a cone of light limited by the hole in the secondary mirror (SM). It propagates to the aspheric null-mirror, which is optimized to make all the reflected rays to be normal to the primary mirror (PM) upon reflection. PM retro-reflects the rays back through the system for wavefront analysis. The point source and the wavefront analysis subsystems are all located behind the PM. The PM phasing is absolute (white light) and does not involve the SM. A relatively small, aspheric null-mirror located near the PM center of curvature has been designed to deliver the high level of optical wavefront correction. The phasing of the segments is absolute due to the use of a broadband source. The segmented PM is optically aligned independently and separately from the SM alignment. The separation of the PM segments alignment from the PM to the SM, and other telescope optics alignments, may be a significant advantage, eliminating the errors coupling. The point source of this concept is fully cooperative, unlike a star or laser-generated guide-star, providing the necessary brightness for the optimal S/N ratio, the spectral content, and the stable on-axis position. This concept can be implemented in the lab for the PM initial alignment, or made to be a permanent feature of the space-based or groundbased telescope.

Rud, Mayer↗

NASA NTRS2010

In-Situ Focusing Inside a Thermal Vacuum Chamber

Traditionally, infrared (IR) space instruments have been focused by iterating with a number of different thickness shim rings in a thermal vacuum chamber until the focus meets requirements. This has required a number of thermal cycles that are very expensive as they tie up many integration and test (I&T)/ environmental technicians/engi neers work ing three shifts for weeks. Rather than creating a test shim for each iteration, this innovation replaces the test shim and can focus the instrument while in the thermal vacuum chamber. The focus tool consists of three small, piezo-actuated motors that drive two sets of mechanical interface flanges between the instrument optics and the focal- plane assembly, and three optical-displacement metrology sensors that can be read from outside the thermal vacuum chamber. The motors are used to drive the focal planes to different focal distances and acquire images, from which it is possible to determine the best focus. At the best focus position, the three optical displacement metrology sensors are used to determine the shim thickness needed. After the instrument leaves the thermal vacuum chamber, the focus tool is replaced with the precision-ground shim ring. The focus tool consists of two sets of collars, one that mounts to the backside of the interface flange of the instrument optics, and one that mounts to the backside of the interface flange of the focal plane modules. The collars on the instrument optics side have the three small piezo-actuated motors and the three optical displacement metrology systems. Before the instrument is focused, there is no shim ring in place and, therefore, no fasteners holding the focal plane modules to the cameras. Two focus tooling collars are held together by three strong springs. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) mission spectrometer was focused this way (see figure). The motor described here had to be moved five times to reach an acceptable focus, all during the same thermal cycle, which was verified using pupil slicing techniques. A focus accuracy of .20.100 microns was achieved.

Liebe, Carl Christian↗

NASA NTRS2006

Demonstration of spectral calibration for stellar interferometry

A breadboard is under development to demonstrate the calibration of spectral errors in microarcsecond stellar interferometers. Analysis shows that thermally and mechanically stable hardware in addition to careful optical design can reduce the wavelength dependent error to tens of nanometers. Calibration of the hardware can further reduce the error to the level of picometers. The results of thermal, mechanical and optical analysis supporting the breadboard design will be shown.

spectral calibration↗