The NASA Goddard Optics Branch provides optical engineering expertise and state-of-the-art products and services. Our engineers have many years of experience in space-qualified optical instrumentation, from very large telescopes to subsystems and components, for missions in all areas of space and earth science.  These areas cover the electromagnetic spectrum, from x-ray astronomical spectrometers to far-infrared earth science satellites.

                                                  

The Branch is active in all phases of instrument and optical technology development. These activities include optical design and analysis, optical fabrication, optical metrology, thin film coatings, optical alignment, optical component or system testing, and wavefront sensing and control.  The Branch is organized into six groups  of specialty.

                                                                                                    

The Optics Branch teams with other Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate (AETD) Divisions, the Space and Earth Science Directorates, and the Flight Programs and Projects Directorate to plan appropriate technology development activities to anticipate future science mission needs. We pursue these technology-development activities directly and through partnerships. In fulfilling NASA and Goddard strategic initiatives, our optical engineering capabilities are provided to other NASA centers, government agencies, industry, and academia. In addition, the Optics Branch works to transfer technology to the private sector for further application and development, as well as to foster interest in space exploration and science with a broad program of community outreach.