Composite Ruggedized Tunable Fabry-Perot Etalon

"It is the objective of this proposal to explore three innovations that would improve this technology in a way that would result in a commercially available etalon for use as a filter spectrometer, or imaging Fabry-Perot system for spaceflight use inunusually harsh environments. The first innovation involves the development of an implementation of an existing proven design using materials that would improve the weight and thermal performance of the system, such as composites. The finesse of an etalonis strongly dependent upon the design of the mount in which it is housed. The second objective is to develop an alternative thermal compensation scheme to achieve a zero temperature coefficient in the motor metering system. The third objective would be todesign an implementation of this etalon as a filter in an imaging remote sensing system. This third objective is being proposed as an option. The result of this work would be a design for rugged tunable Fabry-Perot etalons that would be capable ofsurviving launch into space. These etalons would be available at costs that have historically not been possible, since a great deal of heritage will be collected and leveraged in this proposed effort."