trex enterprises corporation (trex) telescope system ... enterprises_atny.pdfanalysis, design, and...

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3 November, 2008 Trex Enterprises Corporation (Trex) Telescope System Capabilities Prepared by Dr. Bill Goodman Director, Optical Programs Trex Enterprises Corporation 2701 Pan American Freeway NE, Suite C Albuquerque, NM 87107 CELL: 858.437.3899 KAUAI PLANT: 808.245.6465 EMAIL: [email protected] , [email protected] Corporate: Trex Enterprises Corporation 10455 Pacific Center Court San Diego, CA 92121-4339 www.trexenterprises.com Trex Enterprises is a Small Business and complies with NAICS code 541710. This response includes data shall not be disclosed outside the Government and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed in whole or in part for any purpose other than to evaluate this response; provided, that if a contract is awarded to this responder as a result of or in connection with the submission of this data, the Government shall have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent provided in the contract. This restriction does not limit the Government’s right to use information contained in the data if it is obtained from another source without restriction. PROPRIETARY STATEMENT

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Page 1: Trex Enterprises Corporation (Trex) Telescope System ... Enterprises_ATNY.pdfanalysis, design, and modeling. Table 1 Summarizes Trex capabilities and expertise. In the following sections,

3 November, 2008

Trex Enterprises Corporation (Trex) Telescope System Capabilities

Prepared by Dr. Bill Goodman Director, Optical Programs Trex Enterprises Corporation 2701 Pan American Freeway NE, Suite C Albuquerque, NM 87107 CELL: 858.437.3899 KAUAI PLANT: 808.245.6465 EMAIL: [email protected] , [email protected] Corporate: Trex Enterprises Corporation 10455 Pacific Center Court San Diego, CA 92121-4339 www.trexenterprises.com

Trex Enterprises is a Small Business and complies with NAICS code 541710.

This response includes data shall not be disclosed outside the Government and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed in whole or in part for any purpose other than to evaluate this response; provided, that if a contract is awarded to this responder as a result of or in connection with the submission of this data, the Government shall have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent provided in the contract. This restriction does not limit the Government’s right to use information contained in the data if it is obtained from another source without restriction.

PROPRIETARY STATEMENT

Page 2: Trex Enterprises Corporation (Trex) Telescope System ... Enterprises_ATNY.pdfanalysis, design, and modeling. Table 1 Summarizes Trex capabilities and expertise. In the following sections,

ii

Telescope Capabilities Package

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................... 1 

1.0  PAST PERFORMANCE – TELESCOPE SYSTEMS AND CVC SIC™ MATERIAL ................................ 2 1.1  MULTI-MISSION DEPLOYABLE OPTICAL SYSTEM (MDOS ........................................................................... 1 1.2  RAPID OPTICAL BEAM STEERING (ROBS) ................................................................................................... 3 1.3  3-DIMENSIONAL ACQUISITION AND TRACKING ASSEMBLY (3DATA) ......................................................... 4 1.4  ACTIVE IMAGING TESTBED (AIT) ................................................................................................................ 7 1.5  MAUI SPACE SURVEILLANCE SITE, MID-WAVE INFRARED ADAPTIVE OPTICS SYSTEM .............................. 9 1.6  MAUI SPACE SURVEILLANCE SITE, ADAPTIVE OPTICS FOR ADVANCED ELECTRO-OPTICAL SYSTEM

(AEOS) ..................................................................................................................................................... 10 

2.0  ABILITY TO SUBCONTRACT ....................................................................................................................... 12 

3.0  HISTORY OF PROJECT COMPLETIONS .................................................................................................. 13 

4.0  PERSONNEL EXPERTISE (TECHNICAL AND MANAGEMENT) .......................................................... 13 

5.0  SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS EXPERTISE .................................................................................. 13 

6.0  CORPORATE RESOURCES ........................................................................................................................... 14 6.1  MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ......................................................................................................................... 15 

SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................................ 17 

Page 3: Trex Enterprises Corporation (Trex) Telescope System ... Enterprises_ATNY.pdfanalysis, design, and modeling. Table 1 Summarizes Trex capabilities and expertise. In the following sections,

Telescope Capabilities Package

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Trex Enterprises Corporation (Trex) has a history over more than twenty years of system integration of complex electro-optical systems, including design and construction of meter-class transportable telescopes for defense-related missions. The experience and lessons learned through our mobile military telescope efforts, as well as numerous astronomy-related efforts, can be applied to the design and integration of telescopes with apertures to 1.5-meter using our CVC-SiC™ mirror technology. Our contributions to these programs includes system analysis and design, development of new system concepts, subsystem and component design, fabrication, and testing, and execution of field experiments. As a small, high-technology company, we know of no other company of comparable size with as broad-ranging history of innovation and experimental success. Trex offers numerous advantages that can greatly benefit the Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) effort including a local Albuquerque presence and unique expertise in tracking systems, observational systems, and system support. Beyond these advantages, SNL can benefit directly from several ongoing meter-class Trex observational projects. Trex is currently under contract with the Air Force Space & Missile Systems Center for a transportable Space Situational Awareness (SSA) meter-class optical system called the Multi-mission Deployable Optical System (MDOS). The benefit to the SNL effort is that the other Trex projects provide significant risk reduction in the form of experience through pre-qualification of vendors, hardware commonality, and software re-use. The specific areas where Trex has unique experience and strengths are:

• Design, fabrication, and operations of 1-m class optical and imaging systems • Lightweight, high stiffness, athermal silicon carbide mirror and structures technology • Telescope acquisition, tracking, and pointing • Adaptive optics • Modeling & simulation of optical components/subsystems/systems and imaging through

turbulence • SSA requirements, collection systems, operations, & data analysis

The goal of this capabilities description is to introduce ourselves as a potential prime contractor for the SNL telescope program or as an associate or subcontractor to the prime contractor. In addition, Trex offers a wealth of experience to the System Engineering effort in the areas of analysis, design, and modeling. Table 1 Summarizes Trex capabilities and expertise. In the following sections, Trex will provide further details to each of six areas relevant to Imaging, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Telescope Missions.

1 PROPRIETARY INFORMATIONUse or disclosure of data on this page is subject to the restriction on the Cover Sheet of this response.

Page 4: Trex Enterprises Corporation (Trex) Telescope System ... Enterprises_ATNY.pdfanalysis, design, and modeling. Table 1 Summarizes Trex capabilities and expertise. In the following sections,

Telescope Capabilities Package

Table 1. Trex Capabilities and Expertise

Required Expertise Trex Capabilities

Telescope design/fab/integration experience

Yes…Trex is a system integrator on three DoD, 1m-class telescope systems (Section 1)

Subcontracting ability Yes…Trex has subcontracted to many entities on DoD programs (Section 2)

Programmatic success Yes…Trex performed on-time and within budget on many DoD contracts (Section 3)

Personnel expertise Yes…Trex has a robust technical staff of engineers and scientists (Section 4)

SSA experience Yes…Trex has been involved with SSA-related programs for nearly 20 years (Section 5)

Corporate resources/experience Yes…Trex has been an optical R&D contractor for the DoD contractor for over 20 years (Section 6)

1.0 PAST PERFORMANCE – TELESCOPE SYSTEMS and CVC SiC™ Material Trex is a national leader in advanced imaging and tracking and has a long history of innovation in system design, optical design, and adaptive optics. Some twenty years ago, Trex was involved in the original classified DoD study of laser guide star adaptive optics. As part of this program for the Office of Naval Research, Trex built its own 1-m telescope in San Diego, as well as the high-resolution optics and adaptive optics components for imaging and laser beam projection at 0.35 microns wavelength. The goals of the USAFA project, while challenging, are not beyond those Trex has already demonstrated in designing, fabricating, and testing high-resolution, meter-class optical systems. Numerous additional examples of Trex’s experience include our transportable, 1m-class SSA system (MDOS, see Section 1.1) and the Rapid Optical Beam Steering platform (ROBS, see Section 1.2), which has just recently been retired after continuous operation for DoD-related Test-and Evaluation since the mid 1990’s. Trex has provided system/program support at the two largest DoD optical research and space surveillance sites: the Starfire Optical Range (SOR) at Kirtland AFB, NM and the Maui Space Surveillance Site (MSSS) in Hawaii. Additional program descriptions are provided below for the ROBS follow-on program called 3-Dimentsional Acquisition & Tracking Assembly (Section 1.3), the Active Imaging Test-bed experiments (Section 1.4), the Mid-wave Adaptive Optics program (Section 1.5), and the MSSS support program (Section 1.6). Trex has significant experience collaborating with astronomers. During the early 1990’s, following the declassification of some DoD sponsored advanced adaptive optics technologies, Trex became a key player in the transition of these technologies to the astronomy community.

2 PROPRIETARY INFORMATIONUse or disclosure of data on this page is subject to the restriction on the Cover Sheet of this response.

Page 5: Trex Enterprises Corporation (Trex) Telescope System ... Enterprises_ATNY.pdfanalysis, design, and modeling. Table 1 Summarizes Trex capabilities and expertise. In the following sections,

Telescope Capabilities Package

Trex scientists co-authored, with well-known astronomers, the first paper on optimized adaptive optics design for large astronomical telescopes; most of the key design concepts have been adopted for the Keck Adaptive Optics system, as well as numerous 6-8 m telescopes currently under development. Scientific publications by Trex staff have appeared in NATURE, the Astrophysical Journal, Astrophysical Journal Letters, and other publications, including several with significant impact to the astronomical community. Trex’s research has been featured on the cover of Science News magazine. Another example of Trex’s experience in astronomy is the seminal contribution for the use of astronomical telescope to image of extrasolar planets. This work is considered a standard reference by today’s astronomers. Also is Trex’s presence on a specially convened panel by NASA to diagnose the aberration of the Hubble Space Telescope shortly after launch. Our work helped NASA suggest a prescription for correction with high confidence. The requirement for large numbers of lightweight optical mirrors, combined with increasing performance targets and reduced budget allowances, leads to the critical need to reduce the cost of high performance optical systems. One of the largest cost items within these systems is the optical mirrors. Trex chemical vapor composite silicon carbide (CVC SiC™) presents a cost effective alternative to low expansion glass and beryllium mirrors without sacrificing optical performance.

The CVC SiC™ process utilizes the same chemical vapor deposit technique as CVD to form in-situ silicon carbide; however, a secondary phase such as powder is added to the high purity reactant gas stream to produce the composite structure.1 Traditional silicon carbide based systems are manufactured using high temperature sintering of silicon carbide powders, usually with the application of pressure, and/or the addition of sintering aids. The application of pressure is necessary to increase the sintering kinetics of the silicon carbide material to form near theoretical density materials. Sintering aides also serve to increase the kinetics by forming glassy phases or reacting at the grain boundaries, altering the grain boundary interfacial energies, and promoting densification.2 However, both these methods of densifying silicon carbide have functional drawbacks. The application of pressure often introduces residual stress into the finished part. Additionally, the pressure application methods and equipment greatly reduce the potential complexity of the finished part.3,4,5 Sintering aides typically introduce very low strength contaminants into the system, and often lead to the formation of a glassy phase at the grain boundaries, which degrades the properties of the sintered or hot pressed material. In either

1 Reagan, P.; Scoville, A.N.; Leaf, R. US Patent 5,348,765. September 20, 1994. 2 Engineered Materials Handbook, Volume 4: Ceramics and Glasses, S.J. Schneider et al, ASM Int’l.,

1991. 3 R. Morrell, Handbook of Properties of Technical & Engineering Ceramics, Part 1: An Introduction for

the Engineer and Designer, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1989. 4 D.W. Richerson, Modern Ceramic Engineering, Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1992. 5 Engineered Materials Handbook, Volume 4: Ceramics and Glasses, S.J. Schneider et al, ASM Int’l.,

1991.

3 PROPRIETARY INFORMATIONUse or disclosure of data on this page is subject to the restriction on the Cover Sheet of this response.

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Telescope Capabilities Package

case, sintering or hot pressing, the shrinkage between the green and fired state is usually between 10 and 20%.6 Additionally, the different chemical nature of the grain boundary phases can lead to difficulty in machining and pullout during polishing. Differential wear properties of the SiC grain and softer grain boundaries can result in mechanical problems during thermal cycling and further complicates polishing due to the differential hardness of the materials.7

CVD SiC (not to be confused with Trex CVC SiC™) is more chemically pure than sintered or hot pressed carbide, since it is derived from a highly purified gas vapor reaction. Typical CVD impurity levels are on the order of <5 ppm total.8 Unfortunately, conventional CVD SiC materials possess inherently high internal stress due to the large columnar grains extending from the graphite substrate. These stresses result in two major limitations of CVD material. The first is that CVD SiC is difficult to machine (high loss rate) and optical tolerance capability and/or stability is often very poor.9 The second major issue with CVD SiC is that the internal stress limits the size of the SiC blank that can be deposited. A typically cited thickness limitation is on the order of 0.6 cm. Trex’s CVC SiC™ is able to reduce or eliminate the internal stress encountered when using typical CVD processes. The stress is alleviated through Trex’s patented CVC process by addition of the aforementioned secondary solid phase. The individual grains act as nucleating sites, dramatically altering the grain structure, eliminating the stress within the material. Reduced internal stress allows for higher material flow rates, and, consequently, increased deposition rates. In Trex’s CVC SiC™ process high purity SiC particles are added to the gas stream. This results in manufacturing cost reduction when using our CVC process, as compared to conventional CVD SiC materials, with no sacrifice of purity or other chemical or material properties.

Trex Enterprises’ unique CVC process is based on the thermal decomposition of MTS (methyltrichlorosilane) in the presence of excess hydrogen to produce SiC. The reaction takes place at atmospheric or reduced pressure between 1350 and 1400°C, depending upon the requirements for the specific application. A schematic of the CVC process is shown in Figure 1. The current standard process adds SiC powder to make a SiC/SiC composite. The composite has a unique grain structure as shown in Figure 2.

6 D.W. Richerson, Modern Ceramic Engineering, Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1992. 7 Private communications with Wave Precision and QED Technologies 8 www.rohmandhaas.com 9 D.W. Richerson, Modern Ceramic Engineering, Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1992.

4 PROPRIETARY INFORMATIONUse or disclosure of data on this page is subject to the restriction on the Cover Sheet of this response.

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Telescope Capabilities Package

Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the CVC process

Figure 2. Equiaxial CVC grain structure showing the incorporation of powder into a SiC matrix. (scale bar = 15 µm)

In Figure 3, the large irregular white features are SiC powder. Small columnar grains of CVD SiC are seen to grow randomly from nucleation sites associated with the powder. This is different from normal CVD where the grain structure is strictly columnar. The marked difference between CVD and CVC microstructure is illustrated in Figure 3.

The equiaxed or “starburst” grain structure of CVC SiC™ effectively eliminates the internal stress inherent in CVD. The reduced stress allows us to use an aggressive CVD chemistry and high flow rates to achieve high growth rates. The CVC SiC™ process grows material at up to 0.5 mm/hr, a rate that is up to 10X faster than conventional CVD. Because of the high growth rate, the costs for CVC materials are lower than other CVD based SiC materials. Additionally, the reduced stress allows us to machine and polish the material without the potential for fracture and loss that is common with CVD SiC materials.

The CVC SiC™ process also enables near net shape manufacturing of powered and planar mirror systems. As an example, a powered CVC SiC (1-meter radius of curvature) mirror is

5 PROPRIETARY INFORMATIONUse or disclosure of data on this page is subject to the restriction on the Cover Sheet of this response.

Page 8: Trex Enterprises Corporation (Trex) Telescope System ... Enterprises_ATNY.pdfanalysis, design, and modeling. Table 1 Summarizes Trex capabilities and expertise. In the following sections,

Telescope Capabilities Package

shown in Figure 4b. The surface figure metrologies for the plano and powered mirrors are given in Figure 5. For optical fabrication, CVC material can be grown on a substrate with a desired final radius of curvature, due to the conformal nature of the deposition to the graphite mandrel. The shape of the desired optical component is thus formed by simply machining the graphite mandrel, a much easier prospect that machining the SiC after deposition.

Conventional CVD

Face Formerly Attached to Substrate

Deposition Surface

Trex CVC Conventional CVD

Face Formerly Attached to Substrate

Deposition Surface

Trex CVC

CVD SiC

scale bar = 15 μmTrex CVC SiC

scale bar = 15 μm

Figure 3. Conventional CVD and Trex CVC SiC grain structure. Bottom schematics indicate the residual stress that occurs in conventional CVD SiC because of anisotropic grain structure, and the absence of stress in equiaxed Trex material.

6 PROPRIETARY INFORMATIONUse or disclosure of data on this page is subject to the restriction on the Cover Sheet of this response.

Page 9: Trex Enterprises Corporation (Trex) Telescope System ... Enterprises_ATNY.pdfanalysis, design, and modeling. Table 1 Summarizes Trex capabilities and expertise. In the following sections,

Telescope Capabilities Package

Figure 4. (a) 38 cm flat, and (b) 25.4 cm powered mirror (1.0 m roc).

(a) (b)

(a) (b)

Figure 5. Metrology of (a) 30.5 cm flat (λ =500 nm) and (b) 25.4 cm powered mirror (1.0 m roc) (λ =500 nm)

This as-deposited surface may require only minimal polishing; no post deposition machining is necessary. Additionally, the CVC process has proven capable of producing monolithic optical grade SiC material of nearly 40 cm diameter. This limitation is solely the result of the current reactor size. The process is currently being scaled to a new reactor that will produce 1.5-meter aperture SiC mirror structures. The continuous renucleation within the microstructure upon which the CVC process is based allows for virtually limitless expansion in the dimensions of the SiC components. We have already grown parts in excess of 5 cm thick successfully.

There are many qualified polishing vendors for CVC SiC™ mirrors. One example is QED Technology’s MRF polishing technique. MRF is an acronym for the magnetorheological fluid developed by QED. Using MRF, a 300 mm aperture CVC SiC mirror has been polished to 1/250 λ rms or 1/35 λ P-V in approximately 5.5 hours, as shown in Figure 6.

There are a variety of competing materials that can be used for mirrors including glasses, such as ULE, glass-ceramics such as Zerodur, metals such as aluminum and beryllium, and ceramics such as silicon carbide. One of the most important properties for a substrate is specific stiffness, E/ρ, where E is Young's Modulus and ρ is the density. Materials with a high specific stiffness

7 PROPRIETARY INFORMATIONUse or disclosure of data on this page is subject to the restriction on the Cover Sheet of this response.

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Telescope Capabilities Package

PROPRIETARY INFORMATIONUse or disclosure of data on this page is subject to the restriction on the Cover Sheet of this response.

can produce lighter weight optics. In addition, a significant parameter for many applications is the thermal expansion coefficient, α. Thermal conductivity and CTE are important if a high heat load exists or if there are thermal gradients from the sun, a laser, weather, etc, or especially when high thermal stability is required. In addition to the substrate, there are material selection criteria for metering and support structures. For space systems, graphite/epoxy and Invar are used. For ground-based systems, Al, Invar, and steel are used. Table 2 summarizes selected properties of the materials commonly used within advanced mirror systems.

(a) initial condition (b) after 89 minutes

(c) after 160 minutes (d) after 43 minutes

(e) after 36 minutes

Figure 6. Rapid polishing progress for 305 mm aperture CVC SiC mirror (cycle 1-4 totaling 328 minutes polishing time).

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1

Telescope Capabilities Package

PROPRIETARY INFORMATION Use or disclosure of data on this page is subject to the restriction on the Cover Sheet of this response.

σ

Table 2. Properties of Materials Used For Mirror Systems

ρ E E/ρ σt t/ρ α k Cp D=k/ρCp α/k α/D ν No-cladding

Room Temperature Density Total Grain Young's Specific Shear Flexural Tensile Specific Thermal Thermal Specific Thermal Steady State Transient Poisson's Surface

Property: Porosity Size Modulus Stiffness Modulus Strength Strength Strength Expansion Conductivity Heat Diffusivity Distortion Distortion Ratio Finish

Units: kg/m3 % μm GPa MPa-m3/kg Gpa MPa MPa MPa-m3/kg 10-6/K W/m-K j/kg-K 10-6/m2/s μm/W s/m2-K arbitrary Å, rms

Preferred Value: Small NONE Small Large Large Large Large Large Large Small Large Large Large Small Small Small

Typical Mirror Materials

Corning Fused Silica 2190 0 73 33 0.00 0.5 1.4 750 0.85 0.36 0.59 0.2 10

Corning ULE® 2210 0 67 30 0.00 0.015 1.3 770 0.76 0.01 0.02 0.17 10

Schott Zerodur 2530 0 92 36 0.00 -0.09 1.6 810 0.78 -0.06 -0.12 0.243 15

BrushWellman Be I-70H Optical 1850 287 155 207 237 0.13 11.3 216 1920 60.81 0.05 0.19 0.25 15

BrushWellman Be I-220H Structural 1844 303 164 345 0.19 11.5 216 1925 60.85 0.05 0.19 0.18

BrushWellman AlBeMet 162 2100 196.5 94 226 305 0.15 13.9 212 1506 67.03 0.07 0.21 0.17

6061 Aluminum 2700 68 25 276 0.10 23.6 175 900 72.02 0.13 0.33 0.33

Single Crystal Silicon 2330 0 130 56 120 0.05 2.5 148 640 99.25 0.02 0.03 0.24 <5

Invar 39 8080 0 148.2 18 275 0.03 3.05 10.43 520 2.48 0.29 1.23 0.26

Invar 36 8050 0 141 18 276 0.03 1 10.4 520 2.48 0.10 0.40 0.26

TREX CVC SiC™ 3210 0 5-20 457 142 198 402 344 0.11 2.3 200 763 81.66 0.01 0.03 0.17 <5

Web Based SiC By Others:

CVD SiC 3210 5-75 465 145 450 470 0.15 2.2 250 670 116.24 0.01 0.02 0.21 <5

ECM CESIC 2655 0 249 94 320 150 0.06 2.5 121 800 56.97 0.02 0.04 0.17 15 to 25

ECM HB CESIC 2970 0 347 117 254 0.00 2.3 125 730 57.65 0.02 0.04 0.18 <10

Coorstek UltraSiC™ 3150 5 410 130 480 0.00 2.1 175 665 83.54 0.01 0.03 0.21 10-20

Coorstek PureSiC™ 3210 3-10 434 135 517 0.00 2.2 115 665 53.87 0.02 0.04 0.21 5-10

Xinetics Reaction Bonded 2950 0 364 123 550 300 0.10 2.44 172 670 87.02 0.01 0.03 0.18 10-20

POCO SuperSiC® 2530 21.06 216.2 85 155 104 0.04 2.28 149 636 92.60 0.02 0.02 0.17 10-20

SuperSiC plus Silicon® 2930 1.08 330 113 233 108 0.04 2.31 221 645 116.94 0.01 0.02 0.17 10-20

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Telescope Capabilities Package

The combination of Trex’s novel ceramic material with the near net shape deposition capabilities provides mirror assemblies that are lightweight, dimensionally stable under extreme temperatures, readily available, and scalable to large apertures.

Beyond Trex’s expertise in hardware, Trex has developed significant capabilities in modeling and analysis. Our modeling software, developed in MATLAB, includes models of optic distortion under temperature variation, turbulence, path matching requirements for different telescope configurations, as well as pointing and tracking error analysis. Of significant importance is that these tools are grounded in real experimental results. Trex uses these tools to assess the merits of varying technical approaches across the various subsystems. Trex is able to leverage a vast amount of experience obtained over years developing and operating large telescope facilities for the Air Force. The first of these systems was developed for space surveillance in the early 1990’s, when an Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) sponsored program transitioned the first operational image measurement and reconstruction capability to Air Force Space Command. More recent optical programs are described in the subsequent sections. 1.1 Multi-mission Deployable Optical System (MDOS)

Summary Capabilities: 1m-class telescope design; LEO satellite imaging mission (SSA); LEO/GEO metric mission (SSA); Prime contractor; Subcontractor arrangements; Operating environment much worse than ground-based astronomical telescopes (mobile vice fixed)

Trex is currently under a multi-year contract with Space & Missiles System Center, Space Superiority Systems Wing (SMC/SY) to design a 1m-class ground-based deployable electro-optical system to perform multiple space situation awareness (SSA) missions. Trex is utilizing its real-world knowledge and experience of SSA requirements/operations, deployable systems, telescopes, material science, sensors, image processing, algorithms, optics, and data capture/transmission to design a system that fulfills several SSA shortfalls. Trex is currently building and operating deployable, 1-meter class telescope systems to support DoD test ranges (see Sections 1.2 and 1.3) and will implement the best practices and lessons learned from these programs for MDOS and other future telescope systems. Figure 7 shows an artist’s concept based upon previously produced hardware.

1 PROPRIETARY INFORMATIONUse or disclosure of data on this page is subject to the restriction on the Cover Sheet of this response.

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Telescope Capabilities Package

Figure 7. Artist concept of MDOS. The primary missions of MDOS are to conduct daytime/terminator imaging and metrics of LEO objects and terminator metrics of Deep-Space objects for timely and accurate SSA in a theater of operation. That is, MDOS will provide a transportable SSA capability to augment the Space Surveillance Network (SSN) wherever requirements dictate. The MDOS high resolution imaging system will be capable of working in high sky background conditions, and will provide the capability to collect optical imagery on high priority targets in daylight conditions. MDOS will also augment the SSN assets by fulfilling shortfalls in metrics observations, especially those for Deep Space (DS) objects. Specifically, there is an SSN need for high-capacity initial-precision orbit generation and updates, timely status, change detection, timely initial assessment, high-volume searches for new and/or lost objects, and detection and tracking of smaller objects. Non-imaging SSA missions such as spectroscopy and photometry on small or distant objects will also be possible. In short, an MDOS unit will be able to perform multiple SSA missions providing more functionality and utilization than single-mission systems. The system will leverage and integrate existing technologies to minimize risk. MDOS will feed valuable data to the already-existing Air Force and STRATCOM characterization processes. More timely initial characterization (due to global presence and better resolution) will be useful in justifying tasking of other assets in the overall architecture. A long-term ability to define trends in space system operations may also be possible due to increased data sets. Trex is subcontracting to LinQuest Corporation for support with the communications subsystem.

2 PROPRIETARY INFORMATIONUse or disclosure of data on this page is subject to the restriction on the Cover Sheet of this response.

Page 14: Trex Enterprises Corporation (Trex) Telescope System ... Enterprises_ATNY.pdfanalysis, design, and modeling. Table 1 Summarizes Trex capabilities and expertise. In the following sections,

Telescope Capabilities Package

1.2 Rapid Optical Beam Steering (ROBS)

Summary Capabilities: 1m-class telescope design (50cm effective aperture); acquisition/tracking requirements more challenging than for LEO space objects; optics/sensor design

Trex has been engaged over the past 20 years in the development, fielding, and operations of wide-angle electro-optical surveillance and high precision, 3-dimensional tracking systems for a variety of DoD applications. Trex pioneered the development of the basic ROBS concept and has fielded two complete 50 cm aperture systems for test range applications. The program has been funded in excess of $9M. The ROBS concept was the winner in the down-select among 12 rapid beam steering techniques investigated by the Strategic Defense Initiative Office Laser Radar Technology program in 1986-87. Trex holds the patent (United States Patent Number 4,883,348, Nov. 28, 1989, “Wide Field Optical System”) covering the underlying ROBS technology. The ROBS device was built and demonstrated at Trex in several prototype stages in 1989-90. Beginning in 1991, the instrument was modified from a space-based prototype wide-angle optical beam steering system to a mobile range device for testing advanced tracker technology. The utility of the instrument has been demonstrated during support of approximately 15 missions at China Lake, White Sands Missile Range, and Ft. Bliss in the 1993-2000 timeframe. Since 2001, the ROBS system has been located at the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands, Kauai, where it has been operated by Trex personnel in support of missile testing conducted under the Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Program. ROBS is based upon a unique, Trex-patented “roving-fovea” optical concept. The hardware concept is illustrated in Figure 8. The unique feature of this telescope is the roving fovea design, which points the 3.5 milliradian x3.5 milliradian field-of view, over the 17.5 degree by 17.5 degree field-of-regard, by moving a lightweight secondary mirror system housed in a “stinger”. The lightweight stinger results in an extraordinary fast pointing and tracking system, capable of moving in random 3-deg increments at 50 Hz over the full field-of–regard. STINGER KEVLAR

CABLES

COUDE

Figure 8.

ROBS optical beam path. ’

OPTICS

LASER

PRIMARY MIRROR

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Telescope Capabilities Package

The ROBS system has a 0.5 m active aperture (on a static 1-m primary). The beam director is mounted on a two-axis azimuth/elevation gimbal to provide complete hemispherical coverage. The gimbal is in turn mounted on a trailer to provide a mobile system, which is shown in Figure 9 for the initial ROBS device. Retargeting times are typically 25 Hz for a single target, and 25/N Hz for N targets, with a capability of simultaneously keeping 4 targets in-track (i.e. Max N = 4). The angular tracking is performed with an MWIR InSb camera, with frame rate = 120 Hz and with pixel resolution = 13.6 microradians. ROBS uses a laser radar to obtain range to a target once it is in-track. When combined with the angle-angle data from the passive mid-wave infrared camera, this range information provides a full 3-dimensional track file.

Figure 9. ROBS mobile telescope configuration.

The laser transmitter is a solid state Nd:YAG laser that operates at 1.06 microns, and is then wavelength-shifted by means of an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) to the eyesafe wavelength of 1.57 microns. At the 1.06 micron wavelength, the laser output is 805 mJ/pulse, while post-OPO, the output energy is 152 mJ/pulse. The pulse length is approximately 8 nsec, corresponding to a range resolution of 1.2 m, and the LADAR system repetition rate is 20 Hz. A sensitive InGaAs avalanche photo diode is used as the detector. 1.3 3-Dimensional Acquisition and Tracking Assembly (3DATA)

Summary Capabilities: 1m-class telescope design (50cm effective aperture); acquisition/tracking requirements more challenging than for LEO space objects; optics/sensor design

A ROBS follow-on program was begun in 2001 and its name is 3-Dimensional Acquisition and Tracking Assembly (3DATA). 3DATA is a wide-field multiple-object tracker that can track up to 20 targets per second and provide high-resolution track files in support of submunitions field

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Telescope Capabilities Package

ents showing key 3DATA components.

S, but incorporates various improvements and irements for potential operation on ranges as

a Proving Grounds in the summer drove the ultra-low expansion glass for the primary mirror, with matching

composite telescope structure. Improvements mes lighter and 3 times stiffer than the first

l the secondary mirror armature versus the 4 The 3DATA electronics are almost all COTS,

that were built for ROBS. Finally, acquisition and tra atures

era

testing. Trex is currently in the process of completing production of 3DATA for delivery to Eglin Air Force Base. Figure 10 show different views of 3DATA.

Acquisition

Figure 10. Tracking telescope compon

Conceptually, 3DATA is very sim to ROBlessons-learned from the earlier s qudisparate as Ft. Greeley, Alaska in the winter to Yumtelescope and structure design to coefficient of thermal expansion in the carbon were made in weight, where 3DATA is 3 tigeneration ROBS. 3DATA has 6 motors to controfor ROBS, which provides more robust operation. compared to many of the specialized components

ilar ystem. Re

cking software is considerably advanced over the earlier version, with design feultaneous tracking of up to 20 objects and more automatic target acquisition.allowing for sim

A wide angle camera (WAC) is used for detection and acquisition. This camera sits atop the beam director and is co-aligned with the optical system. It has a field-of-view (FOV) of about 20-deg x 20-deg. A high resolution camera (HRC) which has a 3.5 mrad x 3.5 mrad FOV is boresighted with the optical system and is the tracking and imaging camera. Both cameras are InSb 256x256 pixels and operate at 3-5μm in the MWIR. Trex has demonstrated the ability to perform multiple-object imaging and tracking with these systems. The results of one series of tests are shown in Figure 11. The frame to the left is an image from the wide-angle acquisition camera of six airplanes. Each airplane image is captured in a track box and is handed over to the high-resolution camera (as shown in the six frames to the right), and is centered in the HRC field-of-view. The field-of-view of the high resolution camis 3.5mrad x 3.5mrad. The process of redirecting the tracking system was timed, and it was found that it took approximately 1 second to image and center up the six airplanes in the field-of-view. Each target was revisited approximately once per second.

Laser

Fine Track Camera

Carbon-Epoxy Structure

0.5 meter Aperture

AzimuthGimbal

CameraAcquisition

Stinger Motors (6)

Laser

Fine Track Camera

Carbon-Epoxy Structure

0.5 meter Aperture

AzimuthGimbal

Camera

Stinger Motors (6)Elev. Encode

Laser Chopper Controller

Slave PLC

Stinger Motor Amps

Stinger Encoder Hub

Lase

rElev. Encoder

r Controller

Laser Chopper Controller

Slave PLC

Stinger Motor Amps

Stinger Encoder Hub

Laser Controller

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Telescope Capabilities Package

The system 0km away from led to provide the

onitoring health & status, comm

Figure 12. Operator workstation.

Trex had no subcontractors for 3DATA, but did procure the large 1-m optic from Corning, the composite structure for the beam director from Composite Optics Inc, as well as the trailer that forms the transport system.

Figure 11. 3DATA retargeting imagery.

is also designed to operate remotely with the control computer up to 1 the trailer. An operator work station, shown in Figure 12, was assemb

operator an easy to use control station. Control station functions include manding, data processing, and data archiving.

Fine track camera displayFine track camera display

Acquisition camera display

User interface console

Acquisition camera display

User interface console

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Telescope Capabilities Package

1.4

The Active Imcould be used to test and dem ntal objective was to illumlight with a large area re

and transmitter optics were loc

he AIT program was an 8 year, $14.6M program that was managed by Trex Enterprises with

aging of various LEO satellites. During the period of December 1999, the system provided excellent high ckle pupil-plane image results for a large variety of

EO satellite objects. There have been a total of 117 target engagements of which 103 were

Active Imaging Testbed (AIT)

aging Testbed (AIT) program provided the Air Force w bed facility which onstrate various active imaging concepts. The experime

inate a low earth-orbit (LEO) object from ground and collect the scattered ceiver. The receiver for this system was mounted to the side blanchard

of the 3.5 meter telescope at the Starfire Optical Range (SOR) at Kirtland AFB, NM. The laser

Summary Capabilities: Acquisition/tracking of LEO space objects; worked with large aerospace contractor (Boeing); integrated telescope into existing facility (including dome); worked with component suppliers; optics/sensor design

ith a test

ated in an adjacent building.

TBoeing's Rocketdyne Technical Services (RTS) as a subcontractor. Trex was responsible for the overall design, operations and data collection while Boeing provided optical and operation support. This program was funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and ulminated in 1999 with the successful imc

AIT field operations from April 1998 to resolution tracking, cross section, and speLdiffuse targets and returns were measured from 95 (92%). The laser ) and was oper 3.

for the program was built by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNLated and maintained by Trex. A photograph of the laser system is shown in Figure 1

Figure 13. Left panel shows the Nd: YLF oscillator and the right panel shows the Nd: glass

amplifier.

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Telescope Capabilities Package

25-cm clear aperture, coelostat beam irector built by DFM Engineering, shown in Figure 8 (left). The dome is shown in the right

he mount and dome were capable of tracking space objects anywhere in the sky at slew rates up 4 degrees per second. Solar light reflected from the space object was used to track in a

performance for the tracking conditions. A second Dalsa CCD camera was sed to sense changes in the output pointing of the laser. The predefined laser aim point was at

the center of the tracker screen and offset tracking was used to apply the correction for laser pointing drift, point ahead compensation and an optional manual offset. This eliminated the need for a second "point-ahead" tip/tilt mirror in the system. The root mean square tracking residual was typically less than 2 μrad for AIT operations. AIT has proven to be successful as a testbed for acquiring, tracking and illuminating objects in LEO. The program provided a tremendous amount of data on various object active cross sections, speckle characteristics, and target depolarization properties. It has also shown that very high precision tracking, illumination, and range measurement of LEO targets with a very small divergence laser beam is possible in the field. The AIT effort included the inteaddition acking

ptics, and the various low light sensors).

The combined beam is directed into the tracker optics which were designed, assembled, and operated by Trex. The laser beam is broadcast through a dimage of Figure 14.

Figure 14. DFM Beam Director Picture (left) and Transmitter Dome (right).

Ttocommon path configuration. The tracker telescope was an off-axis Gregorian telescope with an effective focal length of 5 m. Tracker parameters such as frame fate, control loop gain, and intensifier gain were software adjustable in real time. The control loop type was also software selectable to optimizeu

gration, testing, and operation at a large telescope facility. In Trex has experience building up component optics (fast steering mirror, the tr

o Several software components in AIT could be applicable to the potential SNL telescope. Trex developed a mount model for the AIT transmitter that was based on previously existing software and was modified by Trex for our specific application. The mount model was successfully integrated into the SOR observatory control system resulting in excellent telescope pointing and

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Telescope Capabilities Package

he Navy's AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) program required high resolution imagery

t the Air Force's Advanced Electro-Optical System EOS) telescope atop Haleakala on Maui.

arking Sands, Kauai. The sensor was to be located within the AEOS telescope, ith its large 3.6m aperture, at the top of Haleakala, Maui. Simple geometric considerations

r, hich represents a very challenging imaging problem.

signed to both wavefront sense and image using the ermal emission emitted by distant targets. The high-resolution images of missile intercept tests

and telescope thermal emission to be minimized.

tracking under stringent requirements for mount accuracy, velocity, and incorporation of point-ahead offsets. 1.5 Maui Space Surveillance Site, Mid-Wave Infrared Adaptive Optics System

Summary Capabilities: Acquired/tracked LEO space objects to conduct SSA imaging mission; familiarity of optical component providers/vendors; worked with large aerospace contractor (Boeing) to integrate optics into large telescope (3m-class) facility

Tin support of their tests with targets launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on Kauai. In support of this goal, Trex designed, modeled and installed the first mid-wave infrared (MWIR) adaptive optics (AO) system a(A The AEOS MWIR AO Sensor Program has been supported by the Navy SPAWAR System Center, San Diego under a succession of Delivery Orders over an approximately 6-year time span (1999-2005). The original rationale for the program was to develop a sensor capable of providing high-resolution imagery in support of Navy Aegis BMD tests with targets launched from PMRF, Bwresult in missile intercept points below a 15-degree elevation angle with respect to the sensow It should ystem was due been recently t dum of Under , SPAWAR, and AFRL. The sensor will still be used to support Navy Aegis BMD testing and for AFRL MSSS Space Surveillance missions.

be noted that the fairly lengthy time required for development of the complete sto funding constraints, and was not the result of technical issues. The system hasransferred to the Air Force Research Laboratory, Detachment 15 under a Memoranstanding among Aegis BMD

Trex built and installed a complete MWIR AO system in a coude room at the base of the MSSS 3.67 m telescope. The left image in Figure 15 shows the telescope pointing toward the horizon which is typical of missile tracking observations. The right image of Figure 15 shows the installed MWIR AO system. The unique feature of this AO system is that it operates in the MWIR (3-5 um wavelength). Thus, it was dethtypically occur at very low elevation (5-10 deg above the horizon), and at very long ranges (typically 1000 km). These conditions would be extraordinarily difficult for a conventional, visible AO system. However, Trex scientists showed that by using photons at longer wavelength, the atmospheric distortions become tame enough for AO to be effective. The AO system has a 97 actuator continuous deformable mirror and Hartmann wavefront sensor. Wavefront processing is performed using digital signal processors. The optical design allows the effect of sky background

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Telescope Capabilities Package

Figure 15. AEOS 3.67 m telescope on Mt Haleakala on Maui (left); MWIR AO system built by Trex, shown at the Coudé bench of 3.67 m telescope (right)

The MWIR system has been successfully used in observations of astronomical objects, space objects, and missiles. The USAF is planning to use the AO system for space object surveillance, which is a new and unique capability to the suite of instruments at MSSS.

1.6 Maui Space Surveillance Site, Adaptive Optics for Advanced Electro-optical

System (AEOS)

Trex has provided lead science and engineering support to th

st at tion

wed the Air Force to perate one of the world’s premier visible band AO systems on the largest DoD telescope. The

and other state-of-the-art sensors and processors have all been continuo aintained by Trex engineers.

Summary Capabilities: Acquired/tracked LEO spacimaging and metric mission; familiarproviders/vendors; worked with large aerospace contractor (Boeing)integrate optics into large telescope (3

e objects to conduct SSA ity of optical component

to m-class) facility

e AEOS Adaptive Optics (AO) system since its installation in 1999. As the primary subcontractor for AO integration and tethe summit of Haleakala on Maui, Trex participated in the large scale AO/telescope integraand developed all operating and maintenance procedures that have alloosystem performs critical spacing imaging missions for a variety of DoD and special customers on a routine basis. The optical system consists of an advanced pupil relay design that includes high performance steering mirrors and a 941 actuator deformable mirror. High speed track cameras, wavefront sensors and imaging cameras are also kept operational. These

usly repaired and m

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Telescope Capabilities Package

ions of 500 – 540 nm or 500 – 700 nm. The acker has a closed loop bandwidth of up to 300 Hz. The high order wavefront compensation

can close on objects as dim as +7 Mv and can operate at bandwidths of up to 200 Hz. Near diffractio y has three sele Trex AO provement of the AO system. These have included modifications of the optical beam train for broader waveband coverage,ompartmentalization of sensors for special classified missions, and sampling by visiting xperimenters. Trex has also developed and implemented new AO diagnostics systems that

The AO system has the ability to detect and track objects from visual magnitude (Mv) of -1 to +14 using a tracker with two spectral band opttr

n limited performance can be achieved. The visible sensor that collects imagerctable FOV’s and can acquire at up to 5 frames per second.

expertise has allowed continuous development and im

ceallow injection of reference beams and provide high resolution scoring. As the lead MSSS subcontractor for AO research and development, Trex has also developed numerous advanced reconstructors and post-processing algorithms for the AO system. These advances have allowed numerous AO users to maximize their data collection campaigns and take advantage of the superior atmospheric conditions atop Mt. Haleakala. Through extensive error budget analyses and modeling & simulation efforts, Trex has continuously advanced the system capabilities. Figures 16 and 17 show the AO optical components and pupil relay system.

Figure 16. State-of-the-Art Atmospheric Compensation for the Largest DoD Telescope.

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Telescope Capabilities Package

system operated and maintained at MSSS

.0 Ability to Subcontract

ully capable to subcontract efforts to qualified sources and oversee said efforts. Trex has established subcontractor management processes that include attributes derived from years of partnering with commercial and academfoundation is clearly specified and delineatesinterfaces, deliverables (including reports andbaselines. This is the basis for monitoring anpreclude misunderstandings during the Trex implements disciplined processes that are during execution of the scope of work. These reviews and final acceptance of the finishedperformance phase the subcontrabudget and the scope of the subcontract are confirmed, and any risk management activities are initiated. Throughout the subcontract performance phase, the subcontractor is monitored and assessed to ensure successful completion of the Statement of Work (SOW). The range of activities necessary to m

rex has performed a first-order analysis of partnering considerations for the SNL effort. esults of the analysis indicate that the best value and the highest likelihood of technical success

n of Trex capabilities coupled with some highly specialized bcontractors. These subcontractors are currently under evaluation, not only for the

Figure 17. Schematic of AEOS Adaptive Opticsby Trex.

2 Trex is f

ic institutions for Government contracts. The process task definitions, performance requirements,

documents), testing requirements, and budget d measuring subcontractor activities and aims to

subcontractor’s performance period.

essential to the oversight of the subcontractor include cost and schedule management, design item. Specifically, at the beginning of the

ct schedule is reviewed against the program schedule, the

anage the subcontractor’s performance can vary depending on the complexity of the program and SOW.

TRare achieved through a combinatiosuSNLprogram but at least two other meter-class telescope efforts, allowing SNL leverage of the

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Telescope Capabilities Package

provided for the programs listed in Section 1

ersonnel consist of a very broad range of specialties plus the system engineering xpertise to effectively merge them together to yield a cost-effective, highly functional system. rex has personal experience of all the factors involved in designing a high performance, electro-

ations.

Modeling & simulation development and analysis expertise

s Requirement flowdown expertise

.0 Space Situational Awareness Expertise

other efforts. Where appropriate, Trex will subcontract and manage vendors to provide system components.

.0 History of Project Completions 3

Trex has an excellent reputation and record of completing optical and imaging system development on time and within budget. A vast majority of the Trex programs are research and development programs and are pushing the state-of-the-art in technologies and concepts. As such, the approach taken by our government customers is typically “build to cost” since the government’s research budget can be vulnerable to reductions from higher headquarters. Requirements can also change during the contract period of performance thereby altering the program cost and schedule.

overnment customer contact information can beGor any other Trex programs that might be of interest to SNL. 4.0 Personnel Expertise (technical and management) Trex personnel have designed, developed, and managed vital military electro-optical assets and programs for the Air Force, Navy, Army, Missile Defense Agency, and Intelligence Agencies. As such, our peToptical system for imaging and metric observ Trex personnel range from technicians to PhD scientists and engineers in the following fields:

Electrical technicians Optical-mechanical engineers Software developers and engineers Control system engineers Mechanical engineers Physics PhDs

Remote sensing and imaging scientists Program management of SSA research and development program

5 Trex personnel have designed, developed, and managed vital SSA military electro-optical assets and programs, including the Maui Space Surveillance System (MSSS), Starfire Optical Range at Kirtland AFB, NM, and the Multi-mission Deployable Optical System. In addition to the

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Telescope Capabilities Package

n area such as requirements, acquisition, search, development, program management, and construction. The following is a list of

A

ent that operates MSSS re Optical Range, Kirtland AFB, NM

ir Force Space Command, Defensive Counterspace Branch er and Site Director

ngineer at MSSS (Adaptive Optics Systems, Optical Design) pheric Compensation, Image

he SNL program will leverage a vast amount of experience with developing similar systems for ace surveillance reaching back to the early 1990’s, when an Air Force Research Laboratory

operational image measurement and construction capability to Air Force Space Command. Since then numerous research programs

ogram. The analysis, design, and algorithm development and demonstrations experience and close ties to the

rogram.

utilization and initial design concept of a nitial design

ir Force Research Laboratory (via Boeing as the prime ies needed to execute the SNL program. The

udy topics were imaging and pointing estimates of LEO objects. Trex varied the seeing

scientific expertise of SSA hardware and software, Trex senior personnel have 10 to 20+ years of experience with the other aspects of the SSA missiorepositions the Trex personnel have held (while at Trex or with previous employers) in the SSmission area:

Commander of the AF detachm Senior AF officer in charge of Starfi Support to Headquarters A MSSS Principal Engine Lead System E Chief Scientist at MSSS (Adaptive Optics Systems, Atmos

Reconstruction Algorithms) SSA requirements derivation for MDOS

Tsp(AFRL) sponsored program transitioned the firstrein camera development and image reconstruction by Trex have transitioned from a laboratory environment to an operational capability. For example, previous efforts with the MSSS GEMINI telescope (1.6m telescope for daytime imaging & metrics) and Advance Electro-Optical System telescope (3.6m telescope for resolved imaging) consisted of collecting visible and infrared resolved images and then applying various image processing algorithms to yield near diffraction limited images of low earth orbiting satellites. The proven and directly applicable experience of the principal investigators for this proposed effort results in Trex being uniquely qualified to conduct this prhave been conducted and published by the investigators. Ouroperational space surveillance community will let us maximize the impact of this p Trex performed a detailed study for AFRL on thedaylight imaging system for SSA, and the results of the simulations based on iparameters indicate that outstanding improvement in resolution is possible. Trex has also conducted other studies for the Acontractor) that directly relate to the technologstconditions, aperture size, and many other parameters to determine that a 1-meter class telescope along with post processing algorithms would provide useable data for the warfighter. In addition, the image resolution of LEO objects and its associated orbital position would be of sufficient accuracy to enable the warfighter near real-time knowledge of potential space-ground imaging operations. This has direct application to the SNL program. 6.0 Corporate Resources Trex has engaged in optical and imaging system research and development for over 20 years and has the necessary equipment, personnel, and financial resources to fulfill the objectives of SNL.

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Telescope Capabilities Package

rex’s urrent work is for the Department of Defense. The company has over 160 employees

perational observatories is of paramount importance to the USAFA program as Trex nderstands the importance of, and has the experience to develop robust, reliable, maintainable,

Trex provided key personnel in support of integration effort f the Advanced Electro-Optical System (AEOS) at the MSSS. The AEOS effort integrated a

ngineering, and SSA expertise provided by the Trex personnel.

nd testing high-resolution, meter-class optical systems.

ves of the intended application.

Trex is headquartered in San Diego, CA, with additional offices in Hawaii, New Mexico, and Massachusetts. Trex is a privately held, employee-owned, small business. Most of Tcperforming both classified and unclassified work. Trex’s systems have been deployed to field sites in New Mexico, Hawaii, and aboard low earth orbit satellites. On Maui, Trex electro-optical experience includes CMOS image sensors as well as extensive research, development and operations support to electro-optical systems including the Maui Space Surveillance Site (MSSS). In San Diego, Trex is primarily involved in optical ranging, tracking, and positioning technology. Trex has great depth, skill, and experience in electro-optical system design, development, integration, installation and operations. Trex staff is diverse and well suited for success on the USAFA telescopes. Trex staff ranges from world class scientists and engineers to seasoned technicians, all well versed in electro-optical system development. Trex experience withouhigh performance telescope systems. olarge scale telescope assembly with several third party developed components including optics and instrumentation. Sections 4 and 5 of this document provide addition details of the scientific,e Trex is a national leader in advanced imaging and tracking for space surveillance. Trex has a long history of innovation in system design, optical design, and adaptive optics. Some twenty years ago, Trex was involved in the original classified DoD study of laser guide star adaptive optics. As part of this program, for Office of Naval Research, Trex built its own 1-m telescope at our facility in San Diego, as well as the high-resolution optics and adaptive optics components for imaging and laser beam projection at 0.35 microns wavelength. The goals of the USAFA project, while challenging, are not beyond those Trex has already demonstrated in designing, fabricating, a Trex has over 60,000 sq. ft. of laboratory and office space equipped with extensive scientific research and development equipment in San Diego, CA, 10000 sq. ft. of office and laboratory space in Kahului, Maui, HI, 13000 square feet of office and laboratory space in Lihue, HI, 3500 square feet of office and laboratory space in Hatfield, MA, and 5000 square feet of office space and 3000 square feet of high-bay lab space in Albuquerque, NM. 6.1 Management Strategy In general, the Trex Team conducts development of complex technical systems, based on a solid understanding of underlying physical and engineering principles. Our scientists and engineers perform a top-down design of the system using guiding objectiOnce the objectives of the system are defined, then requirements for the system are developed. These requirements flow down to individual subsystems and eventually to the components level.

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Telescope Capabilities Package

nting, etc., are managed by nctional managers so that efficient utilization of resources can be achieved. This structure

executing a Systems Engineering activity, Trex follows a comprehensive but straightforward nd logical flow of tasks: statement of the problem; requirements discovery; modeling and

e studies and risk assessments; requirements flowdown to

duling and resource loading when planning and tracking the project. Purchases urchasing Department through an online Enterprise Resource Planning

for Trex and allows for the online submittal and approval so provides access to historical purchase and vendor

are available through the system. Trex also r the generation of all internal accounting, payroll, and cost status

onthly (or more frequently if required) Project

Often, trade-offs must be performed between several of the objectives, to allow the system to perform suitably, and still meet the overall system objectives. Trex’s organization is a hybrid of matrix and project-oriented staffing. Systems engineering and critical technical skills report directly to task managers, who then report to the program manager. Other skills and support functions like contract administration, accoufuensures that the program systems engineering and system design are directly controlled and managed by the program manager for responsiveness. Over the years, we have designed and built a number of systems with similar or higher complexity using this organizational approach, some of which are listed in Section 1. Inasimulation of proposed solutions; tradsubsystems and components; detailed specification, design, and system fabrication/integration; verification and validation testing; and delivery. Trade studies are a vital aspect of the system engineering process. The following trade studies could occur during the SNL telescope system design phase:

Mount Design Telescope Tube/Truss Design Telescope Mount Support Structure Fast Tip Tilt Mirror Tertiary Actuation Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Mounts Mount to Pier Interface Relocation Accommodations Thermal Management Sensors Software Support

The Trex team will utilize a risk management approach that is proven yet simple and effective. It gives excellent visibility to both the contractor team and the government, and will allow risks to be identified and mitigated based on likelihood and consequence. Trex uses an automated system of software and procedural tools to assist the Program Manager in the performance of his/her duties. Trex Program Managers use Microsoft Project for lanning, schep

are performed via the Psystem, Avante, which is customized of purchase requests. The Avante system al

de at Trex since 1999 information. Purchases mauses the Avante system foinformation, which is used to generate the m

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17

Telescope Capabilities Package

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x currently maintains an Access database of or this effort Trex could maintain a database of SNL owned

ed at $5000 is tracked in the database. Items with values t their location is not tracked on a regular basis.

ce working at large, remote,

Status Reports for the Program Managers. TreGovernment-owned property, fproperty. The location of items valuless than $5000 are entered, bu

SUMMARY Trex has the corporate resources, technical expertise, and SSA experience to support SNL. In any observational delivery and deployment effort, unforeseen circumstances tend to arise. Trex

as a significant component of its staff with extensive experienhtelescope facilities and has learned the value of ‘reaching back’ to this staff to find ways to overcome the unforeseen circumstances. In general, successful execution of the proposed program requires the following:

• State-of-art design of telescope and high-resolution optics • Experience to clearly define make-buy decisions, and to choose the best subcontractor,

based on experience, past performance, and cost • Development of a detailed program plan, and the ability to execute the plan, even in the

eventuality of unforeseen challenges • The experience and technical capability to integrate, test, and delivery working, user

friendly high-resolution optical systems Trex will make an ideal contractor for the proposed effort, and will work closely with the SNL to make the project a success.