KEYWORDS: Robotics, Space telescopes, Hubble Space Telescope, Space operations, Cameras, Telescopes, Sensors, Astronomy, Optical instrument design, James Webb Space Telescope
Recent work done in preparation for a potential robotic mission to the Hubble Space Telescope has verified that the capability now exists to assemble, upgrade, and service large space-based telescopes robotically. This paper recommends that future space-based telescopes explicitly take this capability into account and plan for periodic robotic upgrades and servicing, just as the Hubble Space Telescope planned for periodic human upgrades and servicing. A single robotic servicing spacecraft stored at the Earth-Moon Lagrangian point, EML1, can readily provide capabilities for assembly, instrument and component replacements, and routine and emergency servicing for all future space telescopes located in Earth orbit or at the Earth-Sun Lagrangian points, ESL1 and ESL2.
DRS (formerly Boeing) has completed the development and demonstration of a 25-micron pixel size 640x480 VOx microbolometer uncooled IR focal plane product, the U6000. The U6000 incorporates several advanced features to enhance its performance and functional capabilities. A parallel six- bit Smart-Sensor data bus provides external command and data interface capability between the sensor and the focal plane. This includes on chip 6-bit pixel offset correction, detector bias selection and regulation, programmable signal gain, interlaced and non-interlaced output video format selection, signal integration time selection and input referred global offset selection capabilities. The U6000 also includes a high resolution on-chip temperature measurement that is incorporated into the single channel output video during horizontal blanking. This paper describes the U6000's functional capabilities, and provides U6000 functional validation and performance data.
This paper reviews Boeing's progress, over the last three years, in Vanadium Oxide (VOx) uncooled microbolometer focal plane (UFPA) technology and product development. Boeing's UFPA product technology is described, including product capabilities and performance. Focal plane NETD equals 31 mK (F/1), at a 30 Hz sensor frame rate, has been demonstrated on the U3000 320 X 240 UFPA product. At a 60 Hz frame rate, the NETD (F/1) achieved on production U3000 UFPAs is typically less than 60 mK, and spatial pattern noise levels are consistently less than 33 mK after sensor level gain and offset compensation. Key improvements in VOx tin- film technology have been the achievement of a Temperature Coefficient of Resistance (TCR) approximately 3%, and the achievement of microbolometer resistance uniformity of approximately 1/3% ((sigma) /(mu) ) on the UFPA die. Looking into the future, this year Boeing expects to achieve NETD approximately 20 mK (F/1) with very low pattern noise, and within the next three years higher density 640 X 480 focal planes will be demonstrated with essentially equivalent NETD performance. Large high density uncooled LWIR focal planes, combined with low NETD, will make UFPA technology a prime candidate for higher performance FLIR applications.
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