Hedgefog Research Inc. SBIR Phase I Award, May 2021

The proposed innovation is aimed at the Focus Area 10 Advanced Telescope Technologies, subtopic S2.03 Advanced Optical Systems and Fabrication/Testing/Control Technologies for Extended-Ultraviolet/Optical and Infrared Telescope (Scope Title: Fabrication, Test, and Control of Advanced Optical Systems). Hedgefog Research Inc. (HFR) proposes to develop a new Thermal Expansion Mapper (TEM) providing rapid, nondestructive characterization of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) homogeneity in 4-m-class Zerodur and 2-m-class ULE mirror substrates. TEM sensor, employing almost exclusively COTS sub-components, is capable of measuring CTE at multiple locations to sub-ppb/K uncertainty with spatial sampling on a nbsp;100times;100 grid. In principle, TEM technology has the potential to far exceed the requirement of this solicitation by reaching sub-mm2 spatial resolution and 10 ppt/K uncertainty of CTE (ppt: part per trillion). This new characterization capability will allow selection of mirror substrates before they undergo costly manufacturing process to turn into lightweight space mirrors for NASArsquo;s telescopes.