Advancement of rate sensor components is essential to support navigation and attitude control systems for advanced NASA exploratory and satellite missions. The proposed high accuracy IFOS FOGs will have significantly reduced size and weight with ruggedized components designed to meet stringent radiation, vibration and thermal specifications. Anticipated benefits include the ability to perform high-end, challenging navigational functions using an IMU package that is smaller than anything currently available from even the most advanced state-of-the-art instruments. A robust, high performance, cost-effective gyroscope suitable for space-based operations will also have significant impact on demanding line-of-sight (LOS) stabilization for NASA applications that require spacecraft stabilized instrumentation platforms for long term space applications. As well as providing weight reduction, the miniaturization enabled by our optical fiber technology is key to diverse spin-off applications such as for sensor matrices in NASA's extra-vehicular and planetary exploration robots for manned and unmanned missions.
Applications range from rate sensors and gyros used in commercial avionics to navigational inertial reference and measurement units needed for commercial small satellites and landing spacecraft, to gas and oil applications such as measurement-while-drilling (MWD) deployed in horizontal directional drilling. The proposed work will significantly benefit the commercial aviation industry as well as sensor arrays for medical applications and homeland security robotic disarming of bombs. Reducing the size, weight, power (and cost of these sensors and improving robustness against harsh environmental risk factors – all without loss of performance - is also critical for many advanced interceptor and satellite platforms that are of interest to DOD and advanced aerospace applications.
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