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Recent progress made in testing laser diodes and optical materials subjected to exposure in space

2011; SPIE; Volume: 8164; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1117/12.895411

1996-756X

Narasimha S. Prasad,

Advanced Semiconductor Detectors and Materials

In this paper, progress made so far in the performance testing of waveguide laser components sent by NASA Langley Research Center on MISSE 6 mission will be discussed. The objective of the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) is to study the performance of novel materials when subjected to the synergistic effects of the harsh space environment for several months. MISSE missions provide an opportunity for developing space qualifiable materials. The results of post-testing of several optical materials that were recently returned back after more than one year of exposure on the International Space Station (ISS) will be presented. The items were part of the MISSE 6 mission that was transported to the ISS via STS 123 on March 11, 2008 and returned to the Earth via STS 128 that was launched on August 2009. The materials experienced no visible damage during lengthy exposure in space. In the case of laser diode, a comparison of elemental analysis with pre-flight conditions will be presented. Furthermore, the optical components sent on MISSE 7 mission via STS-129 and later retrieved by STS-134 will be briefly discussed.