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NASA Space Technology

Instrument and Sensing Technology

On this page:

• Welcome
• Announcements
• Instrument and Sensing Technology Overview
• New Ways of Doing Business
• Customer Technology Needs and Mission Plans
• Selected Accomplishments
  • Examples of Past Accomplishments
  • Cryogenic Cooler Progress
  • Reducing Mission Size
  • Infrared Astronomy using NASA technology
  • Space Technology Experiments
• Program Elements and Progress Reports
• Additional Information

Welcome!

Welcome to the NASA's Instrument and Sensing Technology Information Page. This page contains information on NASA's Instrument and Sensing Technology development programs.

Note: As part of the continued restructuring of NASA headquarters, the former Spacecraft Systems Division has merged into the Advanced Technology and Mission Studies Division of the Office of Space Science. This page still includes links, information, and references to the Commercial Remote Sensing program, now the responsibility of the Office of Mission to Planet Earth.

The Instrument and Sensing Technology program addresses the goals of the Space Technology Enterprise (of the NASA Strategic Plan, Feb. '96 edition) by seeking to:

• Reduce the size, mass, cost, and complexity of scientific and commercial spacecraft instrument payloads, as a step toward reducing the cost of access to space for these missions.
• Provide innovative instrument technologies to enable ambitious, future space missions.
• Build capability in the U.S. space commercial remote sensing industry through focused space technology efforts.
• Share the harvest of space instrument technology endeavors with the U.S. industrial community.

Here are some links to general background information on space sensors, instruments, and remote sensing:

• Remote Sensing Basics from The Observatorium.
• JPL has an on-line Basics of Space Flight Learners' Workbook. Chapter 12 is on Typical Science Instruments. This information is based on JPL planetary missions, and does not reflect recent advances in technology, but it does provide a good background.
• Expert Definitions of Remote Sensing and Unconventional Definitions of Remote Sensing from the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing.
• For a more general background on Satellites see Satellite 101 (Satellite Technology for Young People) from Hughes Space and Communications.
• Spectroscopy from the Chemistry Department at Virginia Tech provides an excellent general overview.
• The new Electro-Optics Branch Home Page at MSFC has some good background information on laser sensing of the earth's atmosphere.
• Some good general information is available from the Space Science Newsgroup through their Space FAQ (frequently asked questions) for the sci.space hierarchy. It will soon be split across the newly created sci.space.{tech,science,policy} groups, but for now, it's being posted to all of them. The sci.space.tech moderator posts a more frequent short FAQ with concise answers; this is the place to go for more detail and references.
• Relevant Reports (new and incomplete):
  • Report from the Planetary Surface Instrument Workshop held May 12-13, 1995, from LPI.
• See also Additional Information and the Spacecraft Systems Customer Needs Page
• If anyone knows of other links to related, general overview sources, please let me know.

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Announcements

Current Opportunities to Participate!

This is not a complete list of all competitions currently open supported by NASA. This information is provided as a service to facilitate access, and does not reflect all NASA supported competitions, such as competitions funded through a NASA Center, etc.

• Research Opportunities from the Office of Space Science.
• Research Announcements from the Office of Mission to Planet Earth.
• Research Opportunities from the Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications.
• I have not found a consolidated research oppotrunities page from the Office of Aeronautics and Space Transportation Technology.
• NASA Headquarters Office of Procurement.

See also the Spacecraft Systems Announcement Page

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Instrument and Sensing Technology Overview

These have not been updated since August 1994! I've not had time to update and correct these overviews recently.

• The Instrument and Sensing Technology Program Overview is a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) version of the standard seven view graph overview of the Instrument and Sensing Technology program.
• Space Instrument Size Drivers. This is an HTML version of a view graph presentation listing the major reasons why space-based remote sensing instruments are large, and what the options are for reducing the mass and/or the size of these instruments.

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New Ways of Doing Business

• The National Performance Review. The quality of service in the government is below what the public expects and has a right to expect. The majority of the American public believe that the government wastes much of what they pay in taxes. The National Performance Review is committed to finding a solution to this problem.
• The NASA Commercial Technology Network has recently reworked their links, so the following do not work at the moment:
  • The Agenda for Change describes the essence of NASA's new way of doing business to support the Agency's commercial technology mission objectives. It provides a summary description of the various changes needed to successfully perform this mission.
  • Partnership Options for NASA and Industry. NASA believes quality partnerships with industry can enhance U.S. technological competitiveness and help the global economy.

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Customer Technology Needs and Mission Plans

We are beginning to consolidate this information on the Spacecraft Systems Customer Needs Page. In addition, see:

• Space Missions acronym and hyperlink list. Each acronym is an anchor, click on EOS or MTPE to see how this works. This is not a complete list, and suggested additions are welcome.
• Chart showing spectrum and applications for Earth observations.

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Selected Accomplishments

• Examples of Past Accomplishments (more under development).
  • NASA Technology Contribution, Measuring and Understanding the Earth's Ozone Layer
  • NASA Technology for Satellite Laser Ranging
  • NASA Development of CCD Technology for Galileo, Hubble Space Telescope, Yokhoh, etc.
• Cryogenic Cooler Progress!
  • NASA technology makes significant progress towards a five-year life space cryogenic cooler that weighs less than 15 kilograms and provides 0.45 watts of cooling power at 30 kelvins for only 75 watts of input power. This cooler at its design point is 50% more efficient than any comparable cooler to date.
  • The Earth Observing System (EOS) Advanced Infrared Sounder (AIRS) Instrument will fly a TRW Pulse Tube Refrigerator. Click here for a history of the pulse tube.
• Reducing Mission Size
  • NASA High Energy Collimator Grid Technology dramatically reduces size and cost of planned High Energy Solar Imager (HESSI) Mission.
  • Commercial Promise! An article on our Active Pixel Sensor, part of the Micro-Instrument Technology program, is in the March 6, 1995 issue (pages 54 and 55) of Business Week.
• Infrared Astronomy using NASA technology!
  • Click here for a summary of recent NASA contributions to ground-based, airborne, and space-based infrared astronomy.
  • Chart showing progress in Infrared Detectors for Astronomy since 1983.
• Space Technology Experiments
  See Instrument and Sensing Technology Flight Experiments Program Accomplishments

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Program Elements and Progress Reports

In fiscal year 1996 we will be transitioning to a new structure for organizing our on-going tasks. During this transition period, we will list the elements of the old structure where they fall in the new structure.

Instrument & Sensing Technology

• Sensor & Detector Systems
  • Direct Detectors
  • Submillimeter Sensors
  • Laser Sensing
  • Microwave Sensing (Active/Radar and Passive)
• Telescope Systems
  • Telescope Optics
  • Micro-precision Control/Structure Integration (CSI)
• Coolers and Cryogenics
  • Instrument Coolers
• Instrument Integration (includes MEMS)
  • Micro Instrumentation
  • Advanced Instrument Concepts for a Near-Sun Flyby Mission (NRA 95-OSS-15). Notice of Intent Due: December 4, 1995, Proposals Due: extended to February 2, 1996. This NRA is jointly sponsored by this program and OSS.
  • I also manage the Space Technology University Programs, which is being phased out.
• Flight Experiments

Note: I have not updated the Commercial Remote Sensing Page. This program is now under the Office of Mission to Planet Earth.

Selected Pages of Organizations Involved in the Program

• The ARC Infrared Technology Server has more information about the infrared detector and cryocooler technology efforts at the NASA Ames Research Center.
• The Remote Sensing Thrust Office Page at the NASA Langley Research Center.
• The Electro-Optics Branch Home Page at the NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center.
• The Sensor Technology Page from the Center for Space Microelectronics Technology (CSMT) at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
• Commercial Remote Sensing Program from the NASA Stennis Space Center.

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Additional Information

• Sensor Systems Technical Committee of the AIAA.
• Committee on Optical Science and Engineering: In response to a program initiation meeting sponsored by the Board on Physics and Astronomy in cooperation with the National Materials Advisory Board, the two boards have formed a National Research Council Committee.
• The NASA Commercial Technology Network, which includes links to the NASA Small Business Innovation Research Page, etc.
• Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) Program. In response to the growing scientific need for in situ measurements at altitudes and durations greater than the current fleet of science platforms, the NASA Office of Aeronautics has sponsored a new initiative to support the development of technologies which will enable U. S. industry to develop mission capable remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs) with increased operational capabilities while maintaining operational costs at or lower than the current fleet of science platforms.
• The Optical Instrumentation Technology Branch at LeRC.
• Silicon Carbide High Temperature Integrated Electronics and Sensors at LeRC.
• Links to Balloon Instruments from the Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics at NASA GSFC.
• Sensor Technology at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
• Battlefield Sensors from the Dual-Use Applications Program.
• Search the ESC Navigator! The Electronics Subcommittee (ESC) provides Federal interagency coordination for technical planning, budgeting, reporting, and evaluation of Federal programs in electronics science and technology and supports two-way communication on these programs within the government and with the private sector. Through this home page you can find links to related efforts such as the Electronic Systems Technology Office (ESTO) of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
• Advisory Group on Electron Devices Home Page
• Space Instrument Technology Reference Desk (under construction)
• High-Tc Update. Although NASA does not support basic work in superconducting materials, we are interested in these materials for a variety of applications such as submillimeter sensing. In past years we have contributed to the support of High-Tc Update to foster communications and developments in this field.

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Return to:

• Advanced Technology and Mission Studies Division Page
• Office of Space Science
• NASA Headquarters Page
• NASA Page

Created March 25, 1994. Last update: September 15, 1997. Please see my Disclaimer and Web Policy page. Tools used include Doctor HTML and WebTechs HTML Validation Service. Originally created by Gordon Johnston. Due to changing position assignments, this page will now be maintained by Glenn Mucklow.

The world wide web uniform resource locator (URL) for this page is:

http://ranier.hq.nasa.gov/Sensors_page/InstHP.html