NASA Space
Instrument and Sensing Technology
Overview
This is a
HyperText
Markup Language (HTML) version of an out-of-date, but still somewhat useful seven
viewgraph overview of the Instrument and Sensing Technology program.
Instrument and Sensing Technology
Presentation Outline:
To implement a national sensor and instrument technology program
which will advance the state-of-the-art of remote and in situ sensing for NASA
scientific and commercial applications
Closely coupled to:
- commercial and scientific user needs and mission plans
- NASA, Industry, and other government scientific and commercial instrument
developments
- instrument demonstration plans for piloted and unpiloted aircraft, balloon,
sounding rocket, and miniature spacecraft demonstration projects
Evaluate NASA, Industry, and other government technology for key NASA
needs
Emphasis on system miniaturization
- Coordinate national instrument technology development efforts through working
groups and customer/technologist teaming
- Focus on high priority remote and in situ instrument and advanced on-board
data system technologies for scientific and commercial applications
- Select for development component technologies which clearly address the
capabilities needed to enhance, enable, or reduce the cost of scientific and
commercial sensing missions and applications
- Evaluate and utilize instrument technology capabilities within industry,
universities, and the federal laboratories, including partnership
arrangements
- Develop specific agreements to demonstrate or apply these technologies to
scientific and commercial applications
- Increased Emphasis on Small, Quick, and Inexpensive Missions --> Require small
instrumentation payloads
- Increased Emphasis on the Infusion of New Technology as a specific mission
goal
- Increased Emphasis on Contribution of Technology to National
Competitiveness
- Improved Coordination and Willingness of NASA Mission Offices to Use New
Technology
- Opportunity to Evaluate / Utilize Technology from other Government Sources,
Industry, etc.
Major Focus Areas
- Low Background, High Sensitivity Detector Arrays and Cryogenic Readouts for
Infrared Astronomy
(SIRTF)
- High Background, Large Format Infrared Arrays to 18 microns Operating above 65 degrees
Kelvin for Earth Science and Commercial Applications (first application,
EOS-
AIRS)
- Highly Sensitive, Low Background Submillimeter Instruments for Astronomy
(SMIM/
FIRST)
- High Background, Room Temperature Submillimeter Instruments for Earth Science
/ Ozone Chemistry Measurements
(EOS-
MLS)
- Laser Technologies for Science and Operational Earth Sensing of Lower
Atmosphere Winds
(EOS-
LAWS),
Land/Ice Altimetry
(EOS-
GLAS), etc.
- 30 Kelvins, Two-Stage Stirling Cycle Cryogenic Cooler for Long Life, Low
Vibration Cooling of Science Instruments
(EOS)
- Miniature Instruments utilizing Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS)
technology for Planetary and Space Physics Missions
(MESUR,
etc.)
- Advanced Flight Computer for Planetary Missions
(MESUR)
- Precision Optical Structures for Astrophysics and Planet Detection
(AIM &
ASEPS)
- Lightweight Cryogenic Optics for Infrared Astronomy
(SIRTF)
- Instrument technology is at the heart of all science and commercial remote
sensing missions --> Small spacecraft require small payloads
- Instrument technology development under-funded in last decade
--> Most instruments currently in space based on technology developments from the
1960's and 1970's
- Science Instruments are often the most technically aggressive element of the
mission
- Continued instrument technology development is needed to reap the benefits of
the new generation of small spacecraft missions
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Created June 14, 1994. Last update: September 15, 1997. Please see my
Disclaimer
and Web Policy page. Originally created by
Gordon Johnston.
Due to changing position assignments, this page will now be maintained by
Glenn Mucklow.
Glenn.Mucklow@hq.nasa.gov
The world wide web
uniform resource locator (URL) for this page is:
http://ranier.hq.nasa.gov/Sensors_page/InstOv.html