DoD has similar mirror requirements for infrared/visible imaging, surveillance and reconnaissance missions thus NASA and DoD collaboration to mature SiC FOCAL mirror technology is desirable. Monolithic skin SiC-SLMSTM mirror technology has high visibility both within the Government outside of NASA, in particular Missile Defense Agency, Air Force Research Laboratory DE/VS/ML/SN, National Reconnaissance Office, Ground-Based Midcourse Defense Joint Program Office) and in the commercial industry (Ball Aerospace - off-axis telescopes, Raytheon - scan mirrors, ITT - scan mirrors, Boeing SVS -mirrors for Relay Mirror systems and Advanced Tactical Laser, Boeing Phantom Works - antennas for LEO IS&R missions, Brashear LP - telescope optics, Lockheed Martin - fast steering and beam control optics, and Northrop Grumman - transformational communications), and many active business development efforts are on-going with all of these organizations. Given the anticipated cost and performance breakthrough of the SiC FOCAL mirror technology, it is expected that all these organizations will have continued interest. Monolithic skin SiC-SLMSTM mirror technology has high visibility within NASA (in particular NASA GSFC and NASA MSFC). SiC FOCAL mirror technology addresses several of the critical needs identified in the "Advanced Telescopes & Observatories Capability Roadmap" composed by Lee Feinberg (NASA GSFC) and Howard MacEwen (SRS/NRO) for the Advanced Planning and Integration Office (APIO). These needs are in addition to those for UV and EUV instruments. The missions of interest are (for cryogenic) SAFIR, SPIRIT, SPECS, TPF interferometer and (for ambient) DMP, SCOPE, MTRAP, SUVO, NHST and TPF coronagraph. It is feasible that all missions could be satisfied by a mirror technology using 2-meter scale segments. With appropriate funding, SiC FOCAL mirrors could be this technology.
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Marshall Space Flight Center
(MSFC)
