Lockheed Missiles & Space Company, Inc.

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Robert D Sigler

Alan Lee Duncan

Alice Louise Palmer

Richard Lee Kendrick

Paul N Robb

Eric H Smith

David M Stubbs

Larry H Capots

Kenneth John Triebes

Joseph T Pitman

Alan Lee Ducan

A scanning wide-field telescope includes a primary reflecting mirror and a corrector assembly. The corrector assembly corrects light beams for spherical aberration imposed on the light beams by the primary reflecting mirror. The corrector assembly is located between the primary reflecting mirror and a viewing end of the telescope, and is configured to move to multiple optical focal points of the primary reflecting mirror.

Scanning wide field telescope and method

A multiple instrument distributed aperture sensor ('MIDAS') science payload system mounted on a spacecraft, including a spacecraft interface ring affixing the MIDAS science payload system to the spacecraft, and a multiple telescope array ('MTA') further including a mechanical subsystem further including an optical bench, an optical subsystem mounted upon the mechanical subsystem collecting light and merging the light into a passive, actively-sensed or hyperspectral image, and a laser subsystem providing laser illumination for collecting active remote sensing data. The MIDAS science payload system also includes a hexapod in physical communication with and between the spacecraft interface ring and the mechanical subsystem. The MIDAS science payload system further includes a plurality of launch locks affixed to the spacecraft interface ring supporting the MTA in a stowed configuration, and a plurality of science instruments (&#x201c;SIs&#x201d;) mounted on the mechanical subsystem obverse to the optical subsystem, individually and concurrently sensing the passive, actively sensed or hyperspectral image.

Enhanced multiple instrument distributed aperture sensor

An interferometer for nulling a broad range of wavelengths is provided. The interferometer includes a beamsplitter, a first mirror and a second mirror. Incoming radiation is split by the beamsplitter into a first sub-signal and a second sub-signal, which are reflected by the first mirror and the second mirror, respectively, back to the beamsplitter, where they are combined to form an output signal. The interferometer further includes a first plate disposed between the beamsplitter and the first mirror and a second plate disposed between the beamsplitter and the second mirror. The first plate and the second plate have the same refractive index and thickness. The first plate is disposed perpendicular to the direction of the first sub-signal, and the second plate is disposed at an angle &#x3b8; to the direction of the second sub-signal. The beam dispersion caused by the tilt of the second plate attenuates the amplitude of a broad range of wavelengths in the output signal.

Enhanced Michelson interferometric optical filter with broadened wavelength blockage

A communications terminal includes a first aperture configured to receive laser signals from ground laser sources, pick-off mirrors configured to receive laser signals from mobile laser sources, an optical assembly configured to receive the laser communications signals from ground laser sources and mobile laser sources, wherein the optical assembly is configured to focus laser signals onto a common focal plane, and laser receivers located at the focal plane configured to receive laser signals from at least one laser source at a time.

Multi-channel wide-field laser communications method and apparatus

A multi-aperture high-fill-factor telescope is provided. Specifically a multi-aperture high-fill-factor telescope is provided that includes a plurality of sub-aperture telescopes, each sub-aperture telescope being configured to collect electromagnetic radiation from a scene and including first, second, third, and fourth powered mirrors; a set of combiner optics configured to combine electromagnetic radiation collected by the sub-aperture telescopes to form an image of the scene; and a plurality of sets of relay optics, the sets of relay optics are respectively associated with the sub-aperture telescopes and each set of relay optics includes a first flat fold mirror, a trombone mirror pair, and a last flat fold mirror, wherein the last flat fold mirrors are disposed within about a beam diameter of respective exit pupils of the sub-aperture telescopes.

Multi-aperture high-fill factor telescope

A space-based multi-aperture telescope is capable of achieving high fill factors, on the order of at least 50% and more preferably at least 80%. High fill factors can be achieved according to the present invention by providing a combiner section that combines the light collected by plural sub-aperture telescopes at the exit pupil of the telescope.

Multi-aperture high fill factor telescope

Optical device and method for correcting field-dependent phase errors in distributed aperture telescope systems

A multi-aperture imaging system for continuous dwell imaging of complex extended scenes which are not required to contain localized point sources. The multi-aperture imaging system includes a plurality of subaperture telescopes, each of which collect image data of an instantaneous field of view of an extended object scene within a field of regard of the imaging system. The image data collected by each subaperture telescope is transferred by respective optical delay paths to a beam combiner which combines all the image data in coherent fashion to form a single high resolution image of said object scene at a focal plane of the beam combiner. The subaperture telescopes are optically phased using phase diversity techniques which include using a phase diversity sensor located at the focal plane of the beam combiner to detect wavefront errors in the collected images. A phase controller is used to make phase and tilt adjustments to moveable mirror in the optical delay paths of the respective subaperture telescopes to ensure that the path length travelled by the collected image data from each subaperture telescope is maintained equal. The subaperture telescopes are supported on a deployable Y-shaped framework which folds up for compact stowage within a satellite launch canister. The subaperture telescopes are spaced in a redundant array sufficient to provide a desired uniform coverage of the spatial frequencies of a modulation transfer function (MTF) of the imaging system.

Multi-aperture imaging system

A non-deviating prism system (40) and method provides continuously variable dispersion of light with limited deviation. Light is dispersed in a prism arrangement which includes a selected liquid filled in the spaces between adjacent prism elements (41, 51). The indices of refraction and the apex angles of the prisms (41, 51) and the intervening liquid are set to limited deviation according to predetermined relationship. The prisms are mounted near the edges of mutually insertable tubes (62, 64) and a refractive liquid is secured in a containment space bounded by the prism elements (41, 51).

Non-deviating prism with continuously variable dispersion

A color corrector having a liquid lens with abnormal dispersion characteristics is coupled axially to an achromatic optical system to reduce its residual color errors. The color corrector is positioned along the axis between the entrance pupil of the achromatic lens system and the image plane.

Auxiliary lens with liquid element for correcting secondary color

Design forms are disclosed for lens triplets comprising a liquid lens element, which are well-corrected for chromatic aberration over a broad wavelength band extending from the ultraviolet region through the visible region into the near infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Broad-band ultraviolet lens systems well-corrected for chromatic

Optimized design forms are provided for glass-liquid lens triplets for use as telescope objectives having reduced secondary spectrum. Each lens triplet comprises an abnormal-dispersion liquid lens element contained between two normal-dispersion glass lens elements. The glass lens elements are made of readily available and relatively inexpensive optical glasses. The liquid lens element in each lens triplet consists of a commercially available viscous supercooled liquid of abnormal dispersion, which is transparent to optical radiation at visible wavelengths without freezing at temperatures in a range from about -50.degree. C. to about 50.degree. C.

Viscous supercooled liquid lens elements having abnormal dispersion

A catadioptric zoom relay telescope whose refractive elements are made from only a single type of optical glass focuses all wavelengths in a broad infrared bandwidth onto a common focal plane with diffraction-limited imagery throughout a changing focal ratio (i.e., a zoom range) from less than f/1.5 to more than f/6.0.

Infrared catadioptric zoom relay telescope

A catadioptric zoom relay telescope with an aspherical primary mirror and only three movable lens elements focuses all wavelengths in a broad infrared bandwidth onto a common focal plane with substantially diffraction-limited imagery throughout a changing focal ratio (i.e., a zoom range) from less than f/1.5 to more than f/6.0.

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Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Robert D Sigler