Space Dynamics Laboratory
| Established | 1959 |
|---|---|
| Location | Logan, Utah, United States |
| Campus | Utah State University |
Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) is a nonprofit research corporation owned by Utah State University. SDL was founded in 1959 and has been responsible for the design, fabrication, and operation of sensors on over 430 payloads ranging from aircraft and rocket-borne experiments to space shuttle experiments and satellite-based sensor systems. As one of 14 University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs) in the nation, SDL conceives and develops state-of-the-art sensor and satellite systems; performs space, air, and ground-based experiments; conducts rapid, experimental development of prototype sensor hardware and associated software; performs concept validation studies and demonstrations; and develops data-fusing technology for passive and active sensors. SDL employs over 800 scientists, engineers and professional staff at facilities in Logan, Utah; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Bedford, Massachusetts; Dayton, Ohio; Huntsville, Alabama; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; and Washington, D.C.
Partnerships with NASA
SDL has partnered with NASA on a variety of missions for decades.[1] In 2019 NASA selected USU to conduct the Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) led by Mike Taylor. AWE involves an imager built at SDL that will be mounted on the International Space Station to map airglow.[2] Other NASA projects include:
- Thermal links for infrared instruments on the James Webb Space Telescope.[1]
- SDL built and tested The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer science instrument used to discover thousands of minor planets and asteroids.[3]
- SDL designed, manufactured, and tested the cryogenic subsystems for the focal plane assemblies of OCO and of OCO-2.[4]
- Solar occultation for ice experiment (SOFIE) onboard the AIM satellite was designed and fabricated at SDL.[5]
- The Floating Potential Measurement Unit (FPMU) designed and built by SDL monitors surface charging of the ISS.[6]
- The detector electronics assemblies for the OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite (OCAMS) to image the asteroid, search for outgassing plumes, and document the sample acquisition.[7]
- Cryogenic Infrared Radiance Instrumentation for Shuttle (CIRRIS 1A) flew onboard Space Shuttle Discovery in 1991 as part of STS-39. CIRRIS was used to measure phenomena such as airglow and auroral phenomenology. SDL designed, built, and tested the instrument.[8]
External links
References
- ^ a b "Space Dynamics Laboratory Delivers James Webb Space Telescope Subsystem to NASA". spaceref.com. Utah State University. February 3, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ "USU's Atmospheric Waves Experiment chosen by NASA for mission to study space weather". sdl.usu.edu. KUTV. March 6, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ "Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer". sdl.usu.edu. Space Dynamics Laboratory. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ "Orbiting Carbon Observatory". sdl.usu.edu. Space Dynamics Laboratory. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ "Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere Solar Occultation for Ice Experiment". sdl.usu.edu. Space Dynamics Laboratory. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ "Floating Potential Measurement Unit" (PDF). sdl.usu.edu. Space Dynamics Laboratory. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ "OSIRIS-REx" (PDF). sdl.usu.edu. Space Dynamics Laboratory. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ "Cryogenic Infrared Radiance Instrumentation for Shuttle". sdl.usu.edu. Space Dynamics Laboratory. Retrieved July 26, 2019.