TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS) Subtopic 01-S1.06 requires mirrors with a diameter of 0.5-2.4 meters, areal density <20 kg/m2, a figure specification of 0.02-0.005 waves rms @633nm, a surface roughness 0.5-1 nm rms, and a midfrequency error of 1.0-2.5 nm rms for use in the IR to EUV waveband. Schafer?s Phase II objective is to use Silicon Lightweight Mirrors (SLMS), a novel, all-silicon, foam-core, lightweight mirror technology, to build three imaging mirrors for the Next Generation Space Telescope Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) Engineering Test Unit: M0 (a flat), M2 (a concave sphere) and M3R (an oblate spheroid). The surface figure error specification for the NIRCam imaging mirrors is 8 nm rms (0.013 waves rms @633 nm), equivalent to that required for UV and EUV mirrors, and this figure must be maintained at the 35 K operational temperature of NGST. The surface roughness required is 30 ? rms since NIRCam operates in the VIS/IR (0.65-5 m). We will produce mounts for mirrors M2 and M3R using the complementary thermally matched C/SiC material demonstrated by Schafer under another NASA SBIR, NAS8-98137.SLMS technology will significantly impact and benefit a very broad set of future NASA Space Science Enterprise (e.g., Explorer Program) and Earth Science Enterprise (e.g., GOES-R) missions. SLMS will provide a national benefit beyond NASA for DoD (Directed Energy, Imaging), DoC/NOAA (Remote Imaging) and commercial system houses (Ball, Raytheon, ITT, et.al.).
POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS We anticipate that demonstration of TRL 6 performed during Phase III testing at NASA GSFC will lead to the successful launch of our Lightweight Optical Systems (LWOS) Business Area. The target marketplace is for lightweight, athermal optics, optical mounts and optical benches, at the component, subsystem or system level of assembly, for operation in the far infrared to extreme ultraviolet spectral bandwidth, and over a wide range of temperatures (25K-500K). Products include telescopes, imagers, fast steering mirrors and mirrors for high-energy laser applications.
NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip) William Goodman Schafer Corporation 26565 West Agoura Road, Suite 202 Calabasas , CA 91302 - 1958
NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip) Schafer Corporation 321 Billerica Road Chelmsford , MA 01824 - 4177