Award

This Phase I seeks to develop optical seekers that must operate in the endo-atmosphere and exo-atmosphere with high mechanical and thermal stability. ALLVAR Alloy support structures have the potential to create smaller, lighter, and lower cost athermalization solutions for Silicon Carbide (SiC) mirrored telescopes without sacrificing the thermal stability traditionally associated with monolithic or mono-material designs. To realize these benefits, this project aims to tune ALLVAR Alloys’ coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) to zero. The closer to zero thermal expansion (ZTE), the higher the material’s thermal stability. A target of ~100 W/um is based off of SiC’s thermal stability. If successful, a strong and ductile support structure material will be produced that can be used to athermalize telescopes with SiC mirrors. Approved for Public Release | 21-MDA-11013 (19 Nov 21)