There are four Program elements within the Astrophysics Division that execute technology development activities: Cosmic Origins (COR), Physics of the Cosmos (PCOS), Exoplanet Exploration (EXEP), and the Astrophysics Research Program. Technology efforts in the Division are procured through both directed and competed processes.
The PCOS, COR, and EXEP programs develop and operate the Division’s strategic science missions. Thus, each of these programs conduct strategic technology development activities to enable future missions and to support early phase mission development. Each has a formal Technology Development Plan to guide its technology development activities, and maintains an annual report that documents the status of currently funded activities. Annual assessments identify future technology development needs based on the science goals of each program.
The PCOS, COR, and EXEP Programs conduct competed technology development efforts through a Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science (ROSES) element known as Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT) that specifically targets technology developments that bridge the technology readiness level (TRL) 3-6 gap. SAT developed technologies are essential to enable strategic missions that specifically address the key science goals of the Astrophysics Decadal Survey recommendations. The three SAT elements for PCOS, COR, and EXEP are named Technology Development for Physics of the Cosmos (TPCOS), Technology Development for Cosmic Origins Program (TCOP), and Technology Development for Exo-Planet Missions (TDEM) respectively. In contrast to these competed efforts, each program also conducts directed technology development activities that are carried out as elements of specific strategic science missions during early development phases.
The Astrophysics Research Program competitively solicits low TRL (1-3) technology development activities of a more general nature through the Astrophysics Research and Analysis (APRA) Program element of ROSES. APRA is intended to support basic research of new technologies and feasibility demonstrations that may enable future science missions. For example, APRA seeks technology development of advanced detectors that may be proposed as instruments for future space flight experiments. APRA also supports suborbital science investigations that typically involve a significant level of technology development.
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Demonstrating utility of a Predictive Control thermal system for achieving thermal stability. To achieve these objectives, PTCT defined a detailed technical plan with five quantifiable milestones: 1. Develop a high-fidelity flight traceable model of the AMTD-2 1.5 meter ULE® mirror, including 3D CTE distribution and reflective optical coating, that predicts its optical performance response to steady-state and dynamic thermal gradients under bang/bang and proportional thermal control. 2. Derive specifications for thermal control system as a function of wavefront stability. 3. Design and build a predictive Thermal Control System for a 1.5 meter ULE® mirror using new and existing Commercial-off-the-shelf components that sense temperature changes at the ~1mK level and actively controls the mirror's thermal environment at the ~20mK level. 4. Validate the model by testing a flight traceable 1.5-m class ULE® mirror in a relevant thermal vacuum environment in the MSFC X-ray and Cryogenic Facility (XRCF) test facility. 5. Use the validated model to perform trade studies to determine how thermo-optical performance can be optimized as a function of mirror design, material selection, mass, etc. PTCT advances the SOA by developing a predictive control method that uses a thermal ‘model in the loop’ to control the thermal system. 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