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Optical alignment measurements at Goddard Space Flight Center.

W L Eichhorn1

  • 1NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20770, USA.

Applied Optics
|April 17, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The Optical Alignment Facility now uses advanced software and hardware for precise alignment measurements. Data analysis is faster, completed on desktop computers with high accuracy.

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Area of Science:

  • Optical engineering
  • Metrology
  • Spacecraft alignment

Background:

  • The Goddard Space Flight Center's Optical Alignment Facility has not been updated since 1968.
  • Significant advancements in hardware and software are needed for modern alignment measurement.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the evolution of the Optical Alignment Facility.
  • To highlight advancements in hardware, software, and data analysis for alignment measurements.

Main Methods:

  • Implementation of updated hardware and software systems.
  • Development of rapid data analysis procedures on desktop computers.
  • Integration of arbitrary coordinate transformations and error correction algorithms.

Main Results:

  • Alignment measurements can now be performed with turnaround times of approximately 4 hours.
  • Absolute accuracies of less than 6 arcseconds are maintained.
  • Facility errors can be corrected, and arbitrary coordinate transformations are possible.

Conclusions:

  • The modernized Optical Alignment Facility offers significantly improved efficiency and accuracy.
  • The facility is now capable of meeting the demands of current and future space missions.
  • Advanced data analysis and correction techniques enhance the reliability of optical alignment.