{"projectId":91619,"project":{"projectId":91619,"title":"Thin-Film Broadband Large Area Imaging System","startDate":"2015-07-01","startYear":2015,"startMonth":7,"endDate":"2016-06-01","endYear":2016,"endMonth":6,"programId":68,"program":{"ableToSelect":false,"acronym":"NIAC","isActive":true,"description":"The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program nurtures visionary ideas that could transform future NASA missions with the creation of breakthroughs - radically better or entirely new aerospace concepts - while engaging America's innovators and entrepreneurs as partners in the journey. NIAC projects study innovative, technically credible, advanced concepts that could one day \"Change the Possible\" in aerospace. The program is run from NASA Headquarters, Space Technology Mission Directorate.","parentProgram":{"ableToSelect":false,"isActive":true,"description":"Catalyst is a portfolio of early stage programs that specialize in different innovation constituencies and mechanisms to push the state of the art in aerospace technology development","programId":92327,"responsibleMd":{"canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":""},"title":"Catalyst","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"Catalyst"},"parentProgramId":92327,"programId":68,"responsibleMd":{"organizationId":4875,"organizationName":"Space Technology Mission Directorate","acronym":"STMD","organizationType":"NASA_Mission_Directorate","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":"NASA Mission Directorate"},"responsibleMdOffice":4875,"stockImageFileId":36657,"title":"NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"NIAC"},"description":"<p>Fabrication of telescopes, even of relatively modest size requires uniquely complex technology and resources available only to large and specialized institutions. This monopoly is about to be challenged with dramatic cost reduction due to the advent of waveplate lenses and mirrors pioneered by BEAM Co. The objective of the proposed study is to develop concepts for applying diffractive waveplate technology to NASA observation and imaging missions including exoplanet detection. This technology employs \"geometric phase\" in focusing electromagnetic radiation. The system concept to be developed will comprise a thin-film, nearly weightless broadband diffractive waveplate lens that provides angular resolution and light collection capabilities needed for such missions while allowing aperture sizes to be expanded to levels prohibited by technology or cost considerations for any other currently known concept. Chromatic aberration correction techniques previously developed by us for laser communication applications may be extended to broadband imaging with submicroradian angular resolution. The proposed concept will lead to a new and promising design approach for very large aperture space telescopes making them inexpensively available for accomplishing future NASA missions.</p>","benefits":"<p>Sending telescopes to other planets - small, lightweight, and less expensive, is one of the major opportunities provided by the proposed research. Relatively inexpensive larger area telescopes would allow more frequent launches, for example, for observing the Earth. A number of missions covering a range of scales would greatly benefit from the availability of bigger and/or less expensive telescopes, e.g., ATLAST; (http://www.stsci.edu/atlast), the Exoplanet imager Exo-C, at 1.4 m (http://exep.jpl.nasa.gov/stdt/exoc/), and even Cubesats. Exoplanet detection missions in particular would be enabled by higher angular resolution than is feasible with current space telescope technology.</p>","releaseStatus":"Released","status":"Completed","viewCount":557,"destinationType":["Others_Inside_the_Solar_System"],"trlBegin":2,"trlCurrent":3,"trlEnd":3,"lastUpdated":"12/18/25","favorited":false,"detailedFunding":false,"projectContacts":[{"contactId":353569,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Nelson","lastName":"Tabirian","fullName":"Nelson Tabirian","fullNameInverted":"Tabirian, Nelson","receiveEmail":"Subscribed_User","projectContactRole":"Principal_Investigator","projectContactId":546567,"projectId":91619,"programContactRolePretty":"","projectContactRolePretty":"Principal Investigator"}],"programContacts":[{"contactId":233104,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"John","lastName":"Nelson","fullName":"John C Nelson","fullNameInverted":"Nelson, John C","middleInitial":"C","email":"john.c.nelson@nasa.gov","receiveEmail":"Subscribed_User","programContactRole":"Program_Director","programContactId":331,"programId":68,"programContactRolePretty":"Program Director","projectContactRolePretty":""},{"contactId":159179,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Gary","lastName":"Fleming","fullName":"Gary A Fleming","fullNameInverted":"Fleming, Gary A","middleInitial":"A","email":"gary.a.fleming@nasa.gov","receiveEmail":"Subscribed_User","programContactRole":"Program_Manager","programContactId":333,"programId":68,"programContactRolePretty":"Program Manager","projectContactRolePretty":""}],"leadOrganization":{"organizationId":1565,"organizationName":"BeamCo","organizationType":"Industry","city":"Orlando","stateTerritoryId":46,"stateTerritory":{"abbreviation":"FL","country":{"abbreviation":"US","countryId":236,"name":"United States"},"countryId":236,"name":"Florida","stateTerritoryId":46,"isTerritory":false},"country":{"abbreviation":"US","countryId":236,"name":"United States"},"countryId":236,"dunsNumber":"959414327","msiCategories":[],"msiData":{},"setAsideData":["Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB)"],"projectId":91619,"projectOrganizationId":574403,"organizationRole":"Lead_Organization","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"Lead Organization","organizationTypePretty":"Industry"},"otherOrganizations":[{"organizationId":1565,"organizationName":"BeamCo","organizationType":"Industry","city":"Orlando","stateTerritoryId":46,"stateTerritory":{"abbreviation":"FL","country":{"abbreviation":"US","countryId":236,"name":"United States"},"countryId":236,"name":"Florida","stateTerritoryId":46,"isTerritory":false},"country":{"abbreviation":"US","countryId":236,"name":"United States"},"countryId":236,"dunsNumber":"959414327","msiCategories":[],"msiData":{},"setAsideData":["Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB)"],"projectId":91619,"projectOrganizationId":574403,"organizationRole":"Lead_Organization","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"Lead Organization","organizationTypePretty":"Industry"},{"organizationId":4946,"organizationName":"Jet Propulsion Laboratory","acronym":"JPL","organizationType":"FFRDC_2fUARC","city":"Pasadena","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":"91109","projectId":91619,"projectOrganizationId":574402,"organizationRole":"Supporting_Organization","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"Supporting Organization","organizationTypePretty":"FFRDC/UARC"}],"primaryTx":{"taxonomyNodeId":11226,"taxonomyRootId":8817,"parentNodeId":11223,"code":"TX08.2.3","title":"Distributed Aperture","description":"Distributed-aperture technologies aim to provide a robust, reliable capability for precise in-space positioning of multiple spacecraft over both small (50 m for an exoplanet interferometer or X-ray telescope) and large (50 mm for a starshade and a telescope) interspacecraft distances. These technologies also aim to implement long-baseline instrumentation and distributed sensors.","exampleTechnologies":"Submillimeter Probe of the Evolution of Cosmic Structure (SPECS), laser interferometer space antenna","level":3,"hasChildren":false,"selected":false,"isPrimary":true,"hasInteriorContent":true},"primaryTxTree":[[{"taxonomyNodeId":11215,"taxonomyRootId":8817,"code":"TX08","title":"Sensors and Instruments","level":1,"hasChildren":true,"selected":false,"hasInteriorContent":true},{"taxonomyNodeId":11223,"taxonomyRootId":8817,"parentNodeId":11215,"code":"TX08.2","title":"Observatories","description":"Observatory technologies are necessary to design, manufacture, test, and operate space telescopes and antennas that collect, concentrate, or transmit photons. Observatory technologies enable or enhance large-aperture monolithic and segmented single apertures as well as structurally connected or free-flying sparse and interferometric apertures. Applications span the electromagnetic spectrum.","level":2,"hasChildren":true,"selected":false,"hasInteriorContent":true},{"taxonomyNodeId":11226,"taxonomyRootId":8817,"parentNodeId":11223,"code":"TX08.2.3","title":"Distributed Aperture","description":"Distributed-aperture technologies aim to provide a robust, reliable capability for precise in-space positioning of multiple spacecraft over both small (50 m for an exoplanet interferometer or X-ray telescope) and large (50 mm for a starshade and a telescope) interspacecraft distances. These technologies also aim to implement long-baseline instrumentation and distributed sensors.","exampleTechnologies":"Submillimeter Probe of the Evolution of Cosmic Structure (SPECS), laser interferometer space antenna","level":3,"hasChildren":false,"selected":true,"hasInteriorContent":true}]],"technologyOutcomes":[{"technologyOutcomeId":96730,"projectId":91619,"project":{"projectId":91619,"title":"Thin-Film Broadband Large Area Imaging System","startDate":"2015-07-01","startYear":2015,"startMonth":7,"endDate":"2016-06-01","endYear":2016,"endMonth":6,"programId":68,"program":{"ableToSelect":false,"acronym":"NIAC","isActive":true,"description":"The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program nurtures visionary ideas that could transform future NASA missions with the creation of breakthroughs - radically better or entirely new aerospace concepts - while engaging America's innovators and entrepreneurs as partners in the journey. NIAC projects study innovative, technically credible, advanced concepts that could one day \"Change the Possible\" in aerospace. The program is run from NASA Headquarters, Space Technology Mission Directorate.","parentProgram":{"ableToSelect":false,"isActive":true,"description":"Catalyst is a portfolio of early stage programs that specialize in different innovation constituencies and mechanisms to push the state of the art in aerospace technology development","programId":92327,"responsibleMd":{"canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":""},"title":"Catalyst","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"Catalyst"},"parentProgramId":92327,"programId":68,"responsibleMd":{"organizationId":4875,"organizationName":"Space Technology Mission Directorate","acronym":"STMD","organizationType":"NASA_Mission_Directorate","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":"NASA Mission Directorate"},"responsibleMdOffice":4875,"stockImageFileId":36657,"title":"NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"NIAC"},"description":"<p>Fabrication of telescopes, even of relatively modest size requires uniquely complex technology and resources available only to large and specialized institutions. This monopoly is about to be challenged with dramatic cost reduction due to the advent of waveplate lenses and mirrors pioneered by BEAM Co. The objective of the proposed study is to develop concepts for applying diffractive waveplate technology to NASA observation and imaging missions including exoplanet detection. This technology employs \"geometric phase\" in focusing electromagnetic radiation. The system concept to be developed will comprise a thin-film, nearly weightless broadband diffractive waveplate lens that provides angular resolution and light collection capabilities needed for such missions while allowing aperture sizes to be expanded to levels prohibited by technology or cost considerations for any other currently known concept. Chromatic aberration correction techniques previously developed by us for laser communication applications may be extended to broadband imaging with submicroradian angular resolution. The proposed concept will lead to a new and promising design approach for very large aperture space telescopes making them inexpensively available for accomplishing future NASA missions.</p>","benefits":"<p>Sending telescopes to other planets - small, lightweight, and less expensive, is one of the major opportunities provided by the proposed research. Relatively inexpensive larger area telescopes would allow more frequent launches, for example, for observing the Earth. A number of missions covering a range of scales would greatly benefit from the availability of bigger and/or less expensive telescopes, e.g., ATLAST; (http://www.stsci.edu/atlast), the Exoplanet imager Exo-C, at 1.4 m (http://exep.jpl.nasa.gov/stdt/exoc/), and even Cubesats. Exoplanet detection missions in particular would be enabled by higher angular resolution than is feasible with current space telescope technology.</p>","releaseStatus":"Released","status":"Completed","destinationType":["Others_Inside_the_Solar_System"],"trlBegin":2,"trlCurrent":3,"trlEnd":3,"favorited":false,"detailedFunding":false,"programContacts":[{"contactId":159179,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Gary","lastName":"Fleming","fullName":"Gary A Fleming","fullNameInverted":"Fleming, Gary A","middleInitial":"A","email":"gary.a.fleming@nasa.gov","receiveEmail":"Subscribed_User","programContactRole":"Program_Manager","programContactId":333,"programId":68,"programContactRolePretty":"Program Manager","projectContactRolePretty":""},{"contactId":233104,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"John","lastName":"Nelson","fullName":"John C Nelson","fullNameInverted":"Nelson, John C","middleInitial":"C","email":"john.c.nelson@nasa.gov","receiveEmail":"Subscribed_User","programContactRole":"Program_Director","programContactId":331,"programId":68,"programContactRolePretty":"Program Director","projectContactRolePretty":""}],"endDateString":"Jun 2016","startDateString":"Jul 2015"},"technologyOutcomeDate":"2016-06-01","technologyOutcomePath":"Closed_Out","details":"Our Phase I program has addressed the possibility of applying thin-film diffractive waveplate technology to large aperture space-based telescopes for such applications as exoplanet imaging and spectral analysis. The major benefit that may be achievable with this technology is to make very large aperture, diffraction limited, space-based imaging possible at a small fraction of the cost that would be incurred with alternative methods using conventional optics including a reflective primary mirror. We have developed a point optical design that is predicted to achieve diffraction-limited imaging in the visible wavelength band over a bandwidth of \\xb18% of the center wavelength. The geometrical phase modulation introduced by waveplate lenses is wavelength independent - resulting in the broadband nature of these new generation components and feasibility for having near 100% diffractive efficiency over very broad range of wavelengths. Since, however, the diffraction angle depends on wavelength, the bandwidth of a diffraction-limited astronomical telescope with a flat, transmissive primary element may be limited by chromatic aberration. Finding solutions to the problem of chromatic aberrations was an important task during Phase I of our program. Luckily, unlike conventional mirrors and lenses, our novel optical components provide a myriad of opportunities to deal with the problem - we found an opportunity of increasing the diffraction limited bandwidth by near 16,000 times! While alternative diffractive optical techniques for large-aperture space-based imaging, there has been only a small effort devoted to DW lenses and mirrors for this application. In view of the critical potential advantages of this technology over the alternatives, we believe that these techniques merit further investigation for such applications.","infoText":"Closed out","infoTextExtra":"Project closed out","isIndirect":false,"infusionPretty":"","isBiDirectional":false,"technologyOutcomeDateString":"Jun 2016","technologyOutcomeDateFullString":"June 2016","technologyOutcomePartnerPretty":"","technologyOutcomePathPretty":"Closed Out","technologyOutcomeRationalePretty":""},{"technologyOutcomeId":103604,"projectId":91619,"project":{"projectId":91619,"title":"Thin-Film Broadband Large Area Imaging System","startDate":"2015-07-01","startYear":2015,"startMonth":7,"endDate":"2016-06-01","endYear":2016,"endMonth":6,"programId":68,"program":{"ableToSelect":false,"acronym":"NIAC","isActive":true,"description":"The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program nurtures visionary ideas that could transform future NASA missions with the creation of breakthroughs - radically better or entirely new aerospace concepts - while engaging America's innovators and entrepreneurs as partners in the journey. NIAC projects study innovative, technically credible, advanced concepts that could one day \"Change the Possible\" in aerospace. The program is run from NASA Headquarters, Space Technology Mission Directorate.","parentProgram":{"ableToSelect":false,"isActive":true,"description":"Catalyst is a portfolio of early stage programs that specialize in different innovation constituencies and mechanisms to push the state of the art in aerospace technology development","programId":92327,"responsibleMd":{"canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":""},"title":"Catalyst","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"Catalyst"},"parentProgramId":92327,"programId":68,"responsibleMd":{"organizationId":4875,"organizationName":"Space Technology Mission Directorate","acronym":"STMD","organizationType":"NASA_Mission_Directorate","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":"NASA Mission Directorate"},"responsibleMdOffice":4875,"stockImageFileId":36657,"title":"NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"NIAC"},"description":"<p>Fabrication of telescopes, even of relatively modest size requires uniquely complex technology and resources available only to large and specialized institutions. This monopoly is about to be challenged with dramatic cost reduction due to the advent of waveplate lenses and mirrors pioneered by BEAM Co. The objective of the proposed study is to develop concepts for applying diffractive waveplate technology to NASA observation and imaging missions including exoplanet detection. This technology employs \"geometric phase\" in focusing electromagnetic radiation. The system concept to be developed will comprise a thin-film, nearly weightless broadband diffractive waveplate lens that provides angular resolution and light collection capabilities needed for such missions while allowing aperture sizes to be expanded to levels prohibited by technology or cost considerations for any other currently known concept. Chromatic aberration correction techniques previously developed by us for laser communication applications may be extended to broadband imaging with submicroradian angular resolution. The proposed concept will lead to a new and promising design approach for very large aperture space telescopes making them inexpensively available for accomplishing future NASA missions.</p>","benefits":"<p>Sending telescopes to other planets - small, lightweight, and less expensive, is one of the major opportunities provided by the proposed research. Relatively inexpensive larger area telescopes would allow more frequent launches, for example, for observing the Earth. A number of missions covering a range of scales would greatly benefit from the availability of bigger and/or less expensive telescopes, e.g., ATLAST; (http://www.stsci.edu/atlast), the Exoplanet imager Exo-C, at 1.4 m (http://exep.jpl.nasa.gov/stdt/exoc/), and even Cubesats. Exoplanet detection missions in particular would be enabled by higher angular resolution than is feasible with current space telescope technology.</p>","releaseStatus":"Released","status":"Completed","destinationType":["Others_Inside_the_Solar_System"],"trlBegin":2,"trlCurrent":3,"trlEnd":3,"favorited":false,"detailedFunding":false,"programContacts":[{"contactId":159179,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"Gary","lastName":"Fleming","fullName":"Gary A Fleming","fullNameInverted":"Fleming, Gary A","middleInitial":"A","email":"gary.a.fleming@nasa.gov","receiveEmail":"Subscribed_User","programContactRole":"Program_Manager","programContactId":333,"programId":68,"programContactRolePretty":"Program Manager","projectContactRolePretty":""},{"contactId":233104,"canUserEdit":false,"firstName":"John","lastName":"Nelson","fullName":"John C Nelson","fullNameInverted":"Nelson, John C","middleInitial":"C","email":"john.c.nelson@nasa.gov","receiveEmail":"Subscribed_User","programContactRole":"Program_Director","programContactId":331,"programId":68,"programContactRolePretty":"Program Director","projectContactRolePretty":""}],"endDateString":"Jun 2016","startDateString":"Jul 2015"},"technologyOutcomePartner":"Other_Government_Agency","technologyOutcomeDate":"2016-06-01","technologyOutcomePath":"Transitioned_To","organizationId":4835,"organization":{"organizationId":4835,"organizationName":"Department of Defense","acronym":"DoD","organizationType":"Other_US_Government","city":"Washington","stateTerritoryId":26,"stateTerritory":{"abbreviation":"DC","country":{"abbreviation":"US","countryId":236,"name":"United States"},"countryId":236,"name":"District of Columbia","stateTerritoryId":26,"isTerritory":true},"country":{"abbreviation":"US","countryId":236,"name":"United States"},"countryId":236,"canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":"Other US Government"},"details":"<p>DOD prototyping project of small imaging devices. </p>","infoText":"Transitioned To Other Government Agency","infoTextExtra":"Other Government Agency (Department of Defense)","isIndirect":false,"infusionPretty":"","isBiDirectional":false,"technologyOutcomeDateString":"Jun 2016","technologyOutcomeDateFullString":"June 2016","technologyOutcomePartnerPretty":"Other Government Agency","technologyOutcomePathPretty":"Transitioned To","technologyOutcomeRationalePretty":""}],"libraryItems":[{"files":[],"libraryItemId":364738,"title":"Project Website","libraryItemType":"Link","url":"https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/home/index.html","projectId":91619,"internalOnly":false,"publishedDateString":"","entryDateString":"01/22/25 01:10 AM","libraryItemTypePretty":"Link","modifiedDateString":"10/25/24 02:23 PM"}],"states":[{"abbreviation":"FL","country":{"abbreviation":"US","countryId":236,"name":"United States"},"countryId":236,"name":"Florida","stateTerritoryId":46,"isTerritory":false}],"endDateString":"Jun 2016","startDateString":"Jul 2015"}}