Code 551 Technologies and Products

Current Technologies & Products

  • Nano-wire black coatings for stray light mitigation
    • Multi-walled carbon nanotube coatings are robust enough for space applications and increase the sensitivity of optical instruments by mitigating stray light that can overwhelm faint spectral signals.

    For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/new-nano.html
  • High Speed Computational Optics
    • High speed data processing units allow for faster data and image processing.
  • High Reflective UV Coatings
    • High reflectance UV coatings maximize reflectance over key wavelength ranges for astrophysical exploration.
  • Atomic Interferometry
    • Advanced gravitational-wave sensor technologies are being developed to measure ripples in space-time caused by the movement of massive celestial objects.

    For more information, visit https://gsfctechnology.gsfc.nasa.gov/Atom.html
  • Aluminum Superpolishing
    • Aluminum superpolishing is a cost effective method of improving imaging performance by producing high quality optics that are lighter and less expensive than other traditional substrates.
  • Optical Encoders
    • Absolute optical encoders measure mechanical position via detecting unique patterns at discrete locations, providing high resolution positional information for mechanisms.
  • X-Ray Mirror Fabrication and Assembly
    • Developments in glass-slumping and mandrel figuring techniques produce mirrors for x-ray missions that meet precision requirements.
  • High Precision Cryogenic Metrology
    • High precision photogrammetry systems measure changes in hardware positions down to 25K.
  • Optical Design and Assembly for Cubesat Missions
    • Compact optical systems lend themselves to these cost-effective missions.
  • Freeform Optics Research Group Endeavor (FORGE)
    • Non-rotationally symmetric optics allow science grade optical instrumentation to fit in size-limited packages such as CubeSats by enabling small optical designs with large fields of view and high numerical aperture while maintaining desired image quality.