At the heart of the RASL instrument is a 24-inch aperture F/1.5-F/5.3 Cassegrain telescope Optical Tube Assembly (OTA) originally designed and now under construction by DFM Engineering, Inc.

The structure is similar to our astronomical telescopes and LIDAR Optical Tube Assembly’s Optics in a Box™ and uses Invar spacers as one part of the temperature compensation.

The OTA has the capability to operate in any attitude and uses a passive, fully temperature compensated structure so there is nearly zero focus shift over the expected operating temperature range within the various aircraft or on ground based observations.

DFM Lidar Scanner

DFM Optics in a Box™

The optics have been completed and are being integrated into the OTA. Test fixtures are being fabricated and testing will begin soon.

Thereafter, DFM will anodize the aluminum parts and send out the optics for the final coating of enhanced aluminum.

For more information on the original requirements and design specifications from NASA, please visit our NASA Goddard assignment features Newsworthy Article.

• NASA Goddard original features

• Optics in a Box™ features

• LIDAR components