The White Sands Missile Range Optical Evaluation Facility.

Abstract

The Optical Evaluation Facility (OEF) was completed in December 1972 at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR). The Facility was developed to support WSMR in a continuing program of optical system evaluation, development, and testing. The OEF was designed to provide optimum test conditions including temperature control, filtered air, and vibration isolation. Unique in the OEF is a 40 meter horizontal tunnel which houses a 32 meter (106 foot) isolated test beam. The large beam (possibly the largest isolated beam in the United States) effectively isolates seismic disturbances to a maximum of .0001 g over a 1 to 200 hertz range. The Main Laboratory, which is intersected by the tunnel, consists of a 92 square meter area containing an isolated 8 meter beam. The laboratory also contains numerous types of test equipment including unequal path Twyman-Green interferometers, Ealing optical bench equipment, and a Tropel Miniscan. Software is available for the reduction of both interferometric and edge scan data. Future plans for the Facility include an environmental test unit, expansion in the field of infrared testing, and continuing development of test methods including multi-wavelength interferometry. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 1976
Accession Number
ADA028475

Entities

People

  • Joe L. Rosson

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Buildings And Structures
  • Communication Equipment
  • Environmental Tests
  • Interferometers
  • Interferometry
  • Research Facilities
  • Temperature Control
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Test Equipment
  • Test Facilities
  • Test Methods
  • United States
  • Vibration

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerospace Test and Evaluation
  • Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Dynamics.
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.