Atsa Team Successfully Fits Observatory Camera in Spacecraft

Sept. 5, 2012, Tucson, Ariz. — Planetary Science Institute scientists and undergraduate students from The Citadel and other South Carolina colleges visited XCOR Aerospace in Mojave, Calif., to fit the Atsa Suborbital Observatory Mark I camera in an engineering model of the Lynx Mark I spacecraft.

The Atsa project will use a reusable suborbital spacecraft equipped with a specially designed telescope to provide low-cost space-based observations above the limiting atmosphere of Earth, while avoiding some operational constraints of satellite telescope systems such as the inability to observe objects close to the sun.

PSI Senior Scientist Faith Vilas and PSI Associate Research Scientist Luke Sollitt, who is an Assistant Professor of Physics at The Citadel, are the inventors of Atsa. Vilas, Atsa Project Scientist, and Sollitt, Atsa Deputy Project Scientist, led the four-day project at XCOR, assisted by Danielle Barrett of Trident Technical College, Todd Rhodes of Francis Marion University, Daniel Pittman from The Citadel and Larry Smith of Fidem Technica, who provides mechanical engineering support to the Atsa team.

“The visit to XCOR was to do a first fit test of the Atsa Armrest Camera, which is the engineering test bed for the Atsa Suborbital Observatory. The AAC is a small, hand-guided camera that is designed to demonstrate target acquisition and tracking for human-tended suborbital astronomy, and will acquire multispectral images of targets such as Venus and Mercury in the visible to near-infrared spectral range – out to about 900 nanometers,” Vilas said. “The test was very successful: the AAC will indeed fit into the Lynx cockpit and be useable.”

“We learned a great many lessons about payload accommodation on the Lynx, about the integration process, and about what changes we need to incorporate to finish a flight-ready instrument,” Sollitt said. “We look forward to returning in a few months with the next version of the AAC to do fit testing with the flight cockpit.”

ATSA team members also met with Dick Rutan, XCOR’s founding test pilot, who was first to fly non-stop around the world with Jeanna Yeager in the Voyager aircraft in 1986.

“We are extremely pleased to be teamed with PSI on this cutting-edge project,” said XCOR Program Manager Khaki Rodway. ” The capabilities of Lynx allow PSI investigators to fly frequent, flexible Atsa missions a time that suits their research needs. Those factors shorten development time of the camera and enable acquisition of innovative data.”

“Atsa is a true reflection of what Lynx and XCOR are all about, and that’s why we enjoy partnering with them, ” said XCOR Chief Operating Officer Andrew Nelson. “Lynx will be known for aircraft-like operations: no engine overhaul or vehicle restoration between flights. That means we can match partners like PSI in speed and reliability. We respect products and solutions that are extremely reliable, reusable and affordable. And Atsa hits all three of those notes. In the end, more flights for less money equal many more observations.”

PSI and XCOR Aerospace are operating under a Memorandum of Understanding that will see PSI flying Atsa on XCOR’s current and future models of Lynx spacecraft. Atsa telescope operations will commence immediately after the spacecraft’s main engine cutoff.

CONTACT:

Faith Vilas
Atsa Project Scientist
PSI Senior Scientist
281-851-8947
fvilas@psi.edu

Luke Sollitt
Atsa Deputy Project Scientist
PSI Associate Research Scientist
Assistant Professor, The Citadel
626-318-5894
luke.sollitt@citadel.edu

PSI INFORMATION:

Mark V. Sykes
CEO and Director
520-622-6300
sykes@psi.edu

About PSI:

Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the Planetary Science Institute is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to solar system exploration. It is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, where it was founded in 1972.

PSI scientists are involved in numerous NASA and international missions, the study of Mars and other planets, the Moon, asteroids, comets, interplanetary dust, impact physics, the origin of the solar system, extra-solar planet formation, dynamics, the rise of life, and other areas of research. They conduct fieldwork in North America, Australia and Africa. They also are actively involved in science education and public outreach through school programs, children’s books, popular science books and art.

PSI scientists are based in 18 states and the District of Columbia, Australia, Canada, Latvia, Russia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. (www.psi.edu).

About XCOR Aerospace:

XCOR builds safe, reliable and reusable rocket-powered vehicles, propulsion systems, advanced non-flammable composites and rocket piston pumps. XCOR works with aerospace prime contractors and government customers on major propulsion systems, while also building Lynx. Lynx is a piloted, two-seat, fully reusable liquid rocket-powered vehicle that takes-off and lands horizontally. The Lynx-family of vehicles serves three primary missions depending on their specific type including: research & scientific missions, private spaceflight, and micro satellite launch. Lynx production models (designated Lynx Mark II) are designed to be robust, multi-mission (research / scientific or private spaceflight) commercial vehicles capable of flying to 100+ km in altitude up to four times per day. Lynx production models are available to customers in the free world on a wet lease basis. (www.xcor.com).