Novel Sensor Technology for Booster Typing

We propose to design and model a unique spectral-temporal sensor that will be capable of providing early detection of vehicle launch and early identification of booster type. The approach will utilize the unusually complementary dispersion characteristicsof zinc sulfide (ZnS), Sapphire and calcium fluoride (CaF2) to create a sensor capable of unambiguously acquiring the spectral-temporal signature of boost-phase vehicles. The sensor will also be able to locate and track the vehicle throughout the boostphase. This sensor will operate in both the visible and MWIR bands, where the boost-phase signature is most pronounced. It will have no moving parts and a small physical form factor. The design and development of this sensor represents a uniqueopportunity in spectral-temporal sensing.This effort will benefit the development of compact sensors for exploiting time-evolving spectral signatures of point-like events. This spectral imager will be able to sample the data at rates in excess of 200 spectral signatures per second for un-cuedevents within a wide field of view. The sensor can be configured so that the spectral resolution is tailored to achieve optimal sensitivity of the sensor around phenomenologically important spectral regions. The proposed sensor will be capable of extracting the spectral-temporal signatures for a wide range of dynamic events due to the simple opto-mechanical design and the phenomenologically rich spectral band. This technology will lead to advancements intactical and strategic missile threat warning, directed energy detection and warning, bomb damage assessment, and automatic location and identification of artillery and small-arms fire. The ability of the new sensor concept to rapidly acquire spectralsignatures should provide an unprecedented opportunity to investigate algorithms for dynamic event classification based on temporal spectral signatures. In addition, the small physical size of the sensor will demonstrate the possibility of placing anadvanced spectral-temporal sensing capability in unconventional vehicles and locations, and provide tactical missile launch warning for both military and commercial aircraft. It may also find utility in bomb damage assessment and battlefield awareness ofdynamic events.