Cryogenic and Vacuum Compatible Metrology Systems

In this Phase I SBIR project for NASA, Flexure Engineering of Greenbelt, MD will leverage the work we did in our current SBIR project entitled: Cryogenic Optical Metrology Through A Chamber Window by producing an orthogonal development path that will push the envelope of integrating optical metrology instrumentation to a space environment simulation facility. We plan to fully integrate a Laser Radar scanning head inside a thermal-vacuum chamber for operation in cryogenic and high vacuum conditions. Once a scanning head can function in this environment, the next development is a multi-headed scanning system inside a chamber controlled by one Laser Radar body outside the chamber. This system can potentially obtain better than five micron uncertainties with these innovations. Other instruments will also be targeted for facility integration; thermal imaging instruments, optical performance instrumentation and other alignment/metrology instruments that complement the Laser Radar. This innovation provides NASA and the Aerospace Community increased capabilities for the alignment and performance verification of telescope optical surfaces and telescope optical assemblies. A key feature is that the metrology system is integrated inside the chamber providing micron-level uncertainties across large distances and of complex shapes. With the metrology system inside the chamber, the environment will be considerably easier to control and Flight Hardware can be verified in a more accurate setting (cold, vacuum, dark) than a chamber with windows and other environment-compromising heat and light leaks. More »