Goddard's IRAD program is managed under Goddard's Office of Chief Technologist. Activities are coordinated in collaboration with the Sciences and Exploration Directorate; Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate; Flight Projects Directorate; Wallops Flight Facility; New Opportunites Office; SBIR/STTR program; Goddard Strategic Partnerships Office; and the Export Compliance Office.
IRAD provides"seed funding" to develop concepts, reduce technology risk, and advance human capital and technological capabilities. The program is highly competitive, opportunity-driven, and 100% strategically aligned with NASA's and GSFC's strategic priorities. A significant portion of the program is focused on Early Stage Innovations for high-risk, strategically aligned, potential high-payoff technologies that are longer-term or lower TRL.
","parentProgram":{"ableToSelect":false,"acronym":"IRAD","isActive":true,"programId":87,"responsibleMd":{"canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":""},"title":"Center Independent Research & Development","acronymOrTitle":"IRAD"},"parentProgramId":87,"programId":153,"responsibleMd":{"organizationId":4910,"organizationName":"Mission Support Directorate","acronym":"MSD","organizationType":"NASA_Mission_Directorate","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":"NASA Mission Directorate"},"responsibleMdOffice":4910,"title":"Center Independent Research & Development: GSFC IRAD","acronymOrTitle":"GSFC IRAD"},"description":"After diamond-turning aluminum aspheric mirrors, we will develop a stressed polishing process to improve surface figure and finish.
This IRAD proposes to evaluate how stress polishing can be used to extend the application of super-polishing to fast aspheres and freeforms, removing sub-aperture MSF errors, such as tool marks, from diamond-turned aluminum optics. It will leverage an old technique for manufacturing aspheres—stress polishing with a large tool. The aspheric surface will be generated using small tool manufacturing techniques. After the asphere is generated, a mechanical load will be placed onto the optic to deform the asphere into a sphere, using an interferometer to fine tune the deformation. After the asphere is deformed into a sphere, the sub-aperture tool marks can be removed by post-polishing using the Goddard super-polishing process, a process limited to spheres and flats due to the fact that it requires the use of a tight fitting large polishing tool.
","benefits":"N/A
","releaseStatus":"Released","status":"Completed","viewCount":734,"destinationType":[],"trlBegin":3,"trlCurrent":3,"trlEnd":4,"lastUpdated":"12/02/25","favorited":false,"detailedFunding":false,"projectContacts":[{"contactId":458033,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Terence","lastName":"Doiron","fullName":"Terence A Doiron","fullNameInverted":"Doiron, Terence A","middleInitial":"A","email":"terence.a.doiron@nasa.gov","receiveEmail":"Unsubscribed","projectContactRole":"Project_Manager","projectContactId":2804,"projectId":11797,"programContactRolePretty":"","projectContactRolePretty":"Project Manager"},{"contactId":372820,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Peter","lastName":"Blake","fullName":"Peter N Blake","fullNameInverted":"Blake, Peter N","middleInitial":"N","email":"peter.n.blake@nasa.gov","receiveEmail":"Subscribed_User","projectContactRole":"Principal_Investigator","projectContactId":36048,"projectId":11797,"programContactRolePretty":"","projectContactRolePretty":"Principal Investigator"}],"programContacts":[{"contactId":43382,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Bhanu","lastName":"Sood","fullName":"Bhanu P Sood","fullNameInverted":"Sood, Bhanu P","middleInitial":"P","email":"bhanu.sood@nasa.gov","receiveEmail":"Subscribed_User","programContactRole":"Program_Manager","programContactId":395,"programId":153,"programContactRolePretty":"Program Manager","projectContactRolePretty":""}],"leadOrganization":{"organizationId":4947,"organizationName":"Goddard Space Flight Center","acronym":"GSFC","organizationType":"NASA_Center","city":"Greenbelt","stateTerritoryId":3,"stateTerritory":{"abbreviation":"MD","country":{"abbreviation":"US","countryId":236,"name":"United States"},"countryId":236,"name":"Maryland","stateTerritoryId":3,"isTerritory":false},"country":{"abbreviation":"US","countryId":236,"name":"United States"},"countryId":236,"zipCode":"20771","projectId":11797,"projectOrganizationId":4795,"organizationRole":"Lead_Organization","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"Lead Organization","organizationTypePretty":"NASA Center"},"otherOrganizations":[{"organizationId":4947,"organizationName":"Goddard Space Flight Center","acronym":"GSFC","organizationType":"NASA_Center","city":"Greenbelt","stateTerritoryId":3,"stateTerritory":{"abbreviation":"MD","country":{"abbreviation":"US","countryId":236,"name":"United States"},"countryId":236,"name":"Maryland","stateTerritoryId":3,"isTerritory":false},"country":{"abbreviation":"US","countryId":236,"name":"United States"},"countryId":236,"zipCode":"20771","projectId":11797,"projectOrganizationId":4795,"organizationRole":"Lead_Organization","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"Lead Organization","organizationTypePretty":"NASA Center"},{"organizationId":4340,"organizationName":"University of California-Berkeley","acronym":"Berkeley","organizationType":"Academia","city":"Berkeley","stateTerritoryId":59,"stateTerritory":{"abbreviation":"CA","country":{"abbreviation":"US","countryId":236,"name":"United States"},"countryId":236,"name":"California","stateTerritoryId":59,"isTerritory":false},"country":{"abbreviation":"US","countryId":236,"name":"United States"},"countryId":236,"zipCode":"94710","murepUnitId":110635,"academicDegreeType":"Public_4_year","msiCategories":[],"msiData":{"2024":["Asian American Native American Pacific Islander (AANAPISI)"],"2025":["Asian American Native American Pacific Islander (AANAPISI)"]},"setAsideData":[],"projectId":11797,"projectOrganizationId":18257,"organizationRole":"Supporting_Organization","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"Supporting Organization","organizationTypePretty":"Academia"}],"primaryTx":{"taxonomyNodeId":11368,"taxonomyRootId":8817,"parentNodeId":11365,"code":"TX12.4.3","title":"Electronics and Optics Manufacturing Processes","description":"Electronics and optics manufacturing processes produce logic, electrical, and electronic components with increased efficiency for use in extreme environments. These technologies also enable precision optics component manufacturing.","exampleTechnologies":"Optical materials, components, structures; precision optics for large scale applications; advanced architecture nanoelectronics; 1D/2D nanoelectronics; vacuum-tube nanoelectronics; flexible electronics","level":3,"hasChildren":false,"selected":false,"isPrimary":true,"hasInteriorContent":true},"primaryTxTree":[[{"taxonomyNodeId":11340,"taxonomyRootId":8817,"code":"TX12","title":"Materials, Structures, Mechanical Systems, and Manufacturing","level":1,"hasChildren":true,"selected":false,"hasInteriorContent":true},{"taxonomyNodeId":11365,"taxonomyRootId":8817,"parentNodeId":11340,"code":"TX12.4","title":"Manufacturing","description":"This area covers innovative physical manufacturing processes and integrations with analysis and design through a digital thread.","level":2,"hasChildren":true,"selected":false,"hasInteriorContent":true},{"taxonomyNodeId":11368,"taxonomyRootId":8817,"parentNodeId":11365,"code":"TX12.4.3","title":"Electronics and Optics Manufacturing Processes","description":"Electronics and optics manufacturing processes produce logic, electrical, and electronic components with increased efficiency for use in extreme environments. These technologies also enable precision optics component manufacturing.","exampleTechnologies":"Optical materials, components, structures; precision optics for large scale applications; advanced architecture nanoelectronics; 1D/2D nanoelectronics; vacuum-tube nanoelectronics; flexible electronics","level":3,"hasChildren":false,"selected":true,"hasInteriorContent":true}]],"technologyOutcomes":[],"primaryImage":{"file":{"fileExtension":"jpg","fileId":2383,"presignedUpload":false,"fileSizeString":"0 Byte"},"libraryItemId":354,"description":"78 CC * Removing Mid-Spatial Fequency (MSF) Errors Using Stress-Polishing","projectId":11797,"publishedDateString":"","entryDateString":"","libraryItemTypePretty":"","modifiedDateString":""},"libraryItems":[{"file":{"fileExtension":"jpg","fileId":2383,"fileName":"11797-1384963914013","fileSize":95080,"objectId":354,"objectType":"libraryItemFiles","presignedUpload":false,"fileSizeString":"92.9 KB"},"files":[{"fileExtension":"jpg","fileId":2383,"fileName":"11797-1384963914013","fileSize":95080,"objectId":354,"objectType":"libraryItemFiles","presignedUpload":false,"fileSizeString":"92.9 KB"}],"libraryItemId":354,"title":"11797-1384963914013.jpg","description":"78 CC * Removing Mid-Spatial Fequency (MSF) Errors Using Stress-Polishing","libraryItemType":"Image","projectId":11797,"isPrimary":true,"internalOnly":false,"publishedDateString":"","entryDateString":"01/22/25 01:10 AM","libraryItemTypePretty":"Image","modifiedDateString":"09/16/17 09:30 PM"},{"files":[],"libraryItemId":34,"title":"NTR 1","libraryItemType":"Link","projectId":11797,"isPrimary":false,"internalOnly":false,"publishedDateString":"","entryDateString":"01/22/25 01:10 AM","libraryItemTypePretty":"Link","modifiedDateString":"09/16/17 09:30 PM"},{"files":[],"libraryItemId":312523,"title":"Project Website","libraryItemType":"Link","url":"http://aetd.gsfc.nasa.gov/","projectId":11797,"internalOnly":false,"publishedDateString":"","entryDateString":"01/22/25 01:10 AM","libraryItemTypePretty":"Link","modifiedDateString":"10/25/24 02:23 PM"}],"states":[{"abbreviation":"CA","country":{"abbreviation":"US","countryId":236,"name":"United States"},"countryId":236,"name":"California","stateTerritoryId":59,"isTerritory":false},{"abbreviation":"MD","country":{"abbreviation":"US","countryId":236,"name":"United States"},"countryId":236,"name":"Maryland","stateTerritoryId":3,"isTerritory":false}],"endDateString":"Oct 2013","startDateString":"Sep 2012"}}