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January 15, 2006

Ann Arbor, MI

BalloonWindsIntegration Status

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BalloonWinds Overview/Goals

• Validate instrument system models for a downward looking platform in a near space environment

• Demonstrate Multi-Order Photon Recycled Fringe Imaging from a high altitude (30 km) balloon

• Demonstrate technology under as many atmospheric conditions as possible; i.e. high and low clouds, high and low winds, variable boundary layer aerosol conditions, day and nighttime

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The Fringe Imaging Approach

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Team & Organizational Responsibilities

FibertekSubcontractor

RaytheonPartner

MACCo-I

UNHPI/Co-I

FibertekSubcontractor

RaytheonPartner

MACCo-I

UNHPI/Co-I

University of New Hampshire (UNH)-System/Integration

CCD Camera

Thermal Management, Power Distribution and Telemetry System

Gondola Design and Systems Engineering

Control Electronics Chamber Design

Michigan Aerospace Corp. (MAC)-Instrument

Instrument Systems Engineering

Interferometer and Environmental Packaging

Laser/Telescope System and Environmental Packaging

Instrument Control System

Control Electronics Packaging

Raytheon- Santa Barbara Remote Sensing (SBRS)

Telescope, Laser Development Oversight

Fibertek

Diode Pumped Laser

NOAANOAA

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Balloon Flight Overview

Data Collection Time at Float 8 Hours

Launch Site Holloman Air Force Base, NM

Flight Altitude 30km (100,000 ft)

Temperature/ Pressure @ Float -450C and 5 milli-bar

Elevation of Telescope -45º ±1º

Gondola Rotation Rate < 3 rotation/hour

Vibration/Shock 3G Max takeoff

Measurement Range Clear night skies: (float – 2 km) to Ground

Cloudy night: (float – 2 km) to (cloud top + 1 km)

Altitude Gate Size 1 km > 3km; 0.25 km ≤ 3km

LOS Profile Measurement ≥2 seconds

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Flight ScheduleFlight # Objective Atmospheric Condition Mission Date

1 Nighttime Concept Demonstration Night: Clear Air May 2006

2 Daytime Concept Demonstration Day: Partly Cloudy May 2006

3 Day & Night System Demonstration Day & Night: Partly Cloudy Sept. 2006

Comments/ Notes

• All balloon flights will include molecular and aerosol channel optimized interferometers

• First 2 flights are intended to be concept demonstrations

• Flight 1: Demonstrate the electrical, thermal, mechanical, and optical performance of the integrated instrument for nighttime flight conditions.

• Flight 2: Demonstrate the ability to operate during the daytime given the additional thermal load and the increased optical background

• Instrument modifications required for the final flight will be made in the 4 months leading up to the final flight.

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Gondola Design

• Gondola Mass: ~5000 lbs

• Power Requirements: 1300 W

• Thermal Management: Ice Phase Change, 0°C coolant temperature

• Size: 8’ h x 8’w x 12’ l

• 26-28 Lithium Ion Batteries

• Gondola Mass: ~5000 lbs

• Power Requirements: 1300 W

• Thermal Management: Ice Phase Change, 0°C coolant temperature

• Size: 8’ h x 8’w x 12’ l

• 26-28 Lithium Ion Batteries

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BalloonWinds Program Status at a Glance

Main Sub-Systems Build/Test Notes

Interferometer Subsystem X Optical, thermal, mechanical, electrical, and control completed

Laser-Telescope Subsystem X Optical, thermal, mechanical, electrical, and control completed

Instrument Control System X Tested with all instrument system hardware

Gondola Frame 90%

Control Electronics Chamber Delivered & Pressure Tested

Complete Integration upon delivery of instrument control electronics from MAC

Battery Boxes 90%

Thermal Chamber Delivered Will be tested once full gondola integrated with instrument system

BalloonWinds Trailer Delivered

• Instrument system being delivered to UNH for gondola integration this week

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BalloonWinds Control Architecture

Ground Network

UHF RS232 BalloonCommunications

Local Network

RAID Disk DriveArchive

Gondola

Apogee AMITC

CommandImages

Telemetry

InstrumentControl

CMD\TM

CMD\TM

Power Cmd/Data HandlingMicrocontroller

Thermal Control

S Band

S BandDemodulator

Command/Display

Analysis

TCP/IP

TCP/IPApogee LabsGround Station

AFRLHealth and Safety

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Gondola FrameElectronics Chamber -Thermal Chamber

Gondola Hardware

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BalloonWinds Trailer

8’ Office

• Trailer is 30’ long and 13’ tall

• Door for trailer acts as ramp for gondola to be rolled into

• Trailer contains office and all ground support equipment

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GroundWinds- BalloonWinds ComparisonBW GW Impact

Laser Diode Pumped Flash lamp Space prototype 10x more efficient and much more compact & rugged.

CCD Andor EMCCD Pixel Vision High reliability and shot-limited performance. Pixel Vision went out of business a 1 ½ yr ago.

CLIO External Internal Enabled transition to commercial CCD without major impact.

INTF Design

Single Detector/ Dual Channel

Each channel Separate Rail

BW is far more compact and provides a path to a space instrument.

Telescope Primary is from Space Design

Amateur Quality BW telescope is higher quality and efficiency as well as athermal.

Beam Steering

Active: High Dynamic Range

Manual Accommodates environmental induced alignment changes quickly.

Fringe Resolution

M: 50 Ch/FSR

A: 19 Ch/ FSR

M:20/25 Ch/FSR

A:8 Ch/FSR

Improved fringe modeling.

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BalloonWinds Optical Path Layout

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Laser-Telescope SubsystemLaser

GLTI

Telescope

• Laser Head & Control Electronics

• Beam Delivery and Beam Steering

• Independent telemetry data acquisition system for environmental monitoring and power control.

• Liquid to air heat exchangers regulate internal temperature

• Pressure maintained to 1.0 ATM

• Telescope and laser coupled through common interface (GLTI)

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BalloonWinds Telescope

Diameter 50 CM

FOV 190 μ radians

Overall Measured Efficiency 88%

Encircled Energy @300 um 98%

Manufacturer LightWorks

• Athermal design: 30 C to –55 c focal change <2 mm.

• Rigid structure: Elevation change from +45 to –45 the pointing angle deviates 49 urad

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Diode Pumped LaserLaser & Chamber

Wavelength 355 NM

Pulse Frequency/Length 50 HZ/ 20 ns

Divergence (Expanded) 110 μ radians

Average Output Power 4.2 Watts

Type (ND:YAG) DIODE PUMPED

Manufacturer FIBERTEK

Raw Input Power 250 Watts

• Laser is thermally controlled by forced convection

• Electronics and optical head integrated as one unit

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Diode Pumped Laser Frequency Stability

• Histogram was derived from 1200 measurements

• Results indicate a ~5MHz RMS laser frequency stability

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Laser Chamber Integration To Test Frame

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Integrated Laser-Telescope System

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Laser Enclosure Subsystem

Connector Block

2nd Beam Expander Assembly

Beam Fold Mirror

FiberTek 355nm Laser Assembly

Reference Fiber Pick-off

Assembly

Beam Delivery Window

Beam Steering Assembly

Heat Exchanger O-ring Seal

1st Beam Expander

Top Down View

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Laser Enclosure Subsystem

Connector Block

2nd Beam Expander Assembly

Beam Fold Mirror

FiberTek 355nm Laser Assembly

Reference Fiber Pick-off

Assembly

Beam Delivery Window

Beam Steering Assembly

Heat ExchangerO-ring Seal

1st Beam Expander

Top Down View

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Beam Delivery Optics in Laser

Chamber

Beam Delivery Plate

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Laser Chamber After Internal Harnessing

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BalloonWinds Gondola/Instrument Concept

1. Shock Mounted, Thermally Controlled Hermetic Vessel 20” ID x 44”

2. Molecular & Aerosol Interferometer Channels

3. Etalon Control Electronics

4. Narrow band Pre-Filter and associated optics

5. PMTs for telescope alignment and amplifiers

6. CCD Camera and Power Supply

1. Shock Mounted, Thermally Controlled Hermetic Vessel 20” ID x 44”

2. Molecular & Aerosol Interferometer Channels

3. Etalon Control Electronics

4. Narrow band Pre-Filter and associated optics

5. PMTs for telescope alignment and amplifiers

6. CCD Camera and Power Supply

Interferometer Chamber

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Interferometer Part Identification

Aerosol Etalon

Filter BoxCLIO Exteder

Camera

Recycler Mount

Fold Mirror

Molecular Etalon

Collimator Lens

Objective Lens

Relay Lens

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BalloonWinds EtalonsBalloonWinds Molecular Aerosol

Plate Spacing 1.60 cm 5.58 cm

Number of Orders 5.0 13.5

Free Spectral Range (FSR)

0.3125 cm-1 0.089 cm-1

Dynamic Range 1644 m/s/order

473 m/s/order

Plate Diameter 6.0 6.0

Coated Clear Aperture 5.0 5.0

Reflectivity 0.70 0.80

Etalon Plate Flatness Lambda/150 Lambda/150

Loss/Plate <0.01 <0.01

Number of CCD Channels 200 230

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Aerosol Channel of BalloonWinds Interferometer

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Molecular Channel of BalloonWinds Interferometer

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Top Down View of BalloonWinds Interferometer

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Side View of BalloonWinds Interferometer

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BalloonWinds Interferometer Pre-Chamber Integration

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BalloonWinds Interferometer System with Flight Harnessing

Fiber Harness

Cooling Lines

Electrical Harnesses

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Recycler Face Recycler Fiber Assembly

Molecular Interferometer System

Fiber Illumination Through Etalon

Fringe Spectrum Through Recycler

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Molecular Interferometer System

Fringe Spectrum Through Recycler

Fringe Image Through Extender

Molecular Fringe Spectrum Through Full System

• Molecular Finesse = 5.7

• Recycling efficiency = 2.1

• #Orders = 4

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Aerosol Fringe Image Full Optical System

• Finesse= 6.87• Recycling efficiency=2.3• #Orders=12

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First BalloonWinds Fringe Image

Molecular Return Aerosol

Return

Laser Reference

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Expected System Performance Andor

Telescope

FOV 190 urad

Diameter 50 cm

Sep. from Laser 68.5 cm

Laser

Divergence (5x) 0.110 mrad

Beam Diameter 5.0 cm

PRF 50 Hz

Power 3 watts

Wavelength 355 nm

CCD

Read Noise 0.09 e-/read

Dark Counts 0.01 e-/sec/pix

#Images Read 250

Integ. Time 5 Seconds

Measured Sys Eff*

4.5%

UA Bin Size 3

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Wrap-Up• What will be complete by next meeting….

– Full system integration

– Side by side inter-comparison with GroundWinds NH

– Thermal Vacuum testing of Gondola System

– First Flight

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

• The BalloonWinds team would like to thank the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for their continued support of the GroundWinds and BalloonWinds fringe imaging technology.

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Innovation & Results

We are hiring!Optical Engineers/PhysicistsMS or PhDSenior and entry level positions availableU.S. citizenship required