Improved Performance, More Producible Long Wave IR Integrated Dewar Assemblies

A design for a long-wave IR integrated dewar assembly that includes a lens in place of a window, and the associated, deterministic alignment processes, fixtures and instrumentation will be developed. Including a lens, instead of a window, in a dewar provides additional optical design freedom that makes it possible to reduce the length and weight of a sensor optical system. Size and weight are critical performance of sensor optical systems for kill vehicles. The assembly processes will take advantage of the point source microscope, whose principles have been demonstrated and documented. Deterministic assembly processes are necessary to control costs as well as for mission assurance.