Develop and/or Improve Optical Coating Processes for Military Mirrors

Develop a titanium, welded metal bellows extendable sunshade to deploy over seeker system optics in kinetic kill vehicles and other military missile systems that employ optical tracking. One object of the sunshade is to offer an alternative technology tohelp improve the durability of optical coatings by minimizing thermal gradients on the coatings as would be generated by free airflow across the reflective surfaces following ejection of the protective nosecone in the upper atmosphere. An additionalbenefit to the optical coating is protection from insolation (solar radiation) over a 50% solid angle. Still another benefit of the all metallic sunshade is protection of the optics and sensor, and hardening of associated circuitry from effects nuclearblast energy. A long-term benefit is protection of the optical surfaces from slow outgas or migration of volatile compounds to optical surfaces that occur with organic materials. Use in military observation satellites for shielding from sunlight,moonlight and earth reflections. Use in new space telescopes, providing a compact, collapsible sunshade that can be deployed as needed.