Resilient/Non-sticking Exoatmospheric Seal Material/Mechanism

A current Exo-atmospheric Sensor utilizes an IR/Visible Sensor that does not require an external window to protect its telescope optics in the vacuum of space. However, it does require a cover or `lens cap' to protect the system while stored and during flight before it reaches an airless environment. A seal mechanism must be incorporated in the design of the cover to completely protect the sensitive components of the sensor from the surrounding environment while the system is awaiting deployment. In recent years, some space sensor systems (Chandra-ACIS, Alexis, Mars Observer PMRR) have encountered cover release problems attributable to seal adherence, either in flight or in test. To avoid this type of catastrophic failure in an Exo-atmospheric Sensor, an innovative seal material or combination of material(s)/mechanism(s) with the desired seal and release characteristics must be developed. Starsys Research Corporation (SRC) specializes in the development and commercialization of all-metal seal technology. SRC developed an all-metal seal for the on-orbit transfer of cryogenic fluids and fuels under a previous SBIR. SRC proposes adapting this all-metal seal technology to the exo-atmospheric cover seal. The proposed Phase I effort will provide a PDR-level design of the cover seal with key performance criteria verified at the prototype level. Design, manufacture, and test shall be a collaborative effort between SRC and the University of Colorado.