Development of film cassett for astronomical photography in space environment, and image dissectors as display devices for astronomical experimentation from manned spacecraf

Tifft, W. G.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

THE WNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 
TUCSON, ARIZONA 
S IX-MONTH STATUS REPORT 
NASA CONTRACT NSR 03-002-163 
Technical Support Systems for Manned Space Astronomy 
S 68 - 18 
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19690002688 2020-03-12T06:01:16+00:00Z
6 MONTH STATUS REPORT 
NASA CONTRACT NSfa 03-002-163 
Technical Support Systems for  Manned Space Astronomy 
Submitted by: 
W. G .  T i f f t  
P r inc ipa l  Inves t iga tor  
SPACE ASTRONOMY 
of the  
STEWARD OBSERVATORY 
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 
Tucson, Arizona 
October 1, 1968 
S 68-18 
INTRODUCTION 
The cont rac t  divides i n t o  two main task  areas. The first task  concerns 
the  development of a 35 mm f i l m  cassett f o r  u t i l i z a t i o n  i n  astronomical 
photography i n  t h e  space environment. 
ment of image d i s sec to r s  as cont ro l  and d isp lay  systems f o r  astronomical 
experimentation from manned space vehicles.  
The second t a s k  dea ls  with the  develop- 
FILM CASSETTE PROJECT 
The s t a r t i n g  poin t  f o r  t h e  f i l m  ca s se t t e  program was an engineering 
prototype model which had been constructed through t h e  Marshall Space F l igh t  
Center during the  development program f o r  t he  Arizona 6-Inch Ul t r av io l e t  
Camera under contract  NAS8-20651. 
t he  proposal document f o r  t h i s  cont rac t . )  
order was placed with J .  A. Maurer, Inc . ,  f o r  ass i s tance  i n  a design 
review of t he  prototype. 
they have extensive experience i n  designing and building cameras and f i l m  
magazines f o r  space appl ica t ions .  
the  Apollo Program and are cur ren t ly  designing a 70 mm f i l m  magazine f o r  t h e  
All4 Program. 
(A photograph of t he  prototype appeared i n  
An engineering support purchase 
The Maurer Company was se l ec t ed  f o r  t h i s  study s ince  
They have b u i l t  16 mm and 70 mm cameras f o r  
The design review has been completed. The Maurer Company has expressed 
the  opinion t h a t  the  present  magazine design is  de f i c i en t  i n  s eve ra l  respec ts ,  
such t h a t  it would have l i t t l e  chance of performing s a t i s f a c t o r i l y  under the  
conditions expected i n  space. 
previously reached by Arizona personnel which had caused us t o  i n s t i t u t e  t h i s  
advanced study. The areas i n  which t h e  design was determined t o  be d e f i c i e n t  
included the  following: 
This conclusion is i n  agreement with t h a t  
1. Light shielding was inadequate. 
2.  Various non space qua l i f ied  components were u t i l i z e d ,  including 
components which have l i t t l e  chance of being qua l i f i ed .  
The f i l m  was improperly protected from the  space ehvironment. 
I t  i s  the  opinion of the  Maurer Company t h a t  the f i l m  should 
not be exposed t o  the  u l t rah igh  vacuum of outer  spdce but  should 
be i n  a cas se t t e  which i s  a t  l e a s t  s i l g h t l y  pressurized.  
addition t o  pressure cont ro l ,  the  temperature cdntrol  provided 
i n  the  preliminary cas se t t e  was f e l t  t o  be inadequate. 
Improper metal-to-metal contact between moving membeys, such as  
the worm gear dr ive f o r  advancing the  f i l m ,  must be corrected.  
3.  
In 
4 .  
5. The system showed generally poor o r  inadequate design on mechanical 
d e t a i l s ,  including excessive wobble of f i l m  r e e l s ,  improper length 
of sprocket t ee th  and non-flatness of the  pressure p l a t e .  
Various materials had been used, espec ia l ly  various p l a s t i c s ,  which 
a re  known t o  have excessive outgassing under vacuum conditions with 
gasseous products which could contaminate op t i ca l  surfaces .  
6. 
The Maurer Company demonstrated several  of t h e i r  cameras and f i l m  
magazines t o  Arizona personnel as  examples of what they f e e l  t o  be proper 
designs f o r  space appl icat ions.  
was of p a r t i c u l a r  i n t e r e s t ;  it appears t h a t  a r e l a t i v e l y  simple sca l ing  of 
t h i s  design would make it applicable t o  the  Arizona camera program. 
magazine is a rapid load f i l m  ca s se t t e  which snaps onto the  camera; t he  
f i l m  dr ive motor is separate  from the magazine w i t n  a f l e x i b l e  coupling 
disconnect between the  magazine and the  camera. 
The 16 mm f i l m  magazine fo r  the  Apollo Program 
This 
As a r e s u l t  of the  Maurer study, t he  space astronomy group asked the 
company t o  quote on the  e f fo r t  required t o  bui ld  a 35 mm magazine based on the  
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16 mm design; t h i s  quote has not ye t  been received. If the cos t  of such a 
design e f f o r t  i s  reasonable, it would appear des i rab le  t o  allow the  Maurer 
Company t o  handle the  design. 
w i l l  perform a preliminary design o f  t h i s  type. 
Maurer Company is  received and reviewed, fu r the r  e f f o r t  by the  University sf 
Arizona on the f i l m  magazine has been stopped. 
reached, no fabr ica t ion  e f f o r t  of a new magazine can be sta*ted. 
If the  cost  i s  p roh ib i t i veb  Arizona personnel 
Unti l  the quotation from the  
Untfl  a design decision i s  
Several tests of the  engineering p r o t o t s e  f i l m  caSSette were carried out 
under modest vacuum conditions.  
mately 20 microns f o r  periods of up t o  72 hours,  
pressures,  the  f i l m  ca s se t t e  worked s a t i s f a c t o r i l y  and the f i l m  showed no 
s igni f icant  degradation. 
j e t  backing. 
The f i l m  was exposed t o  a vacuum of approxi- 
For these times and a t  these 
The f i l m  used i n  these tests was 103a-0 with rem 
Using t h i s  type of backing prevented s t a t i e  e l e c t r i c a l  problems. 
IMAGE DISSECTOR CONTROL AND DISPLAY SYSTEM (IDCADS) 
The key element of the  IDCADS t a s k  cons is t s  of t he  design and fabr ica t ion  
of a prototype system f o r  u t i l i z a t i o n  on the  University of Arizona 90-inch 
telescope. 
image d issec tors  f o r  remote control  of operations and data  co l lec t ion ,  bQth 
for astronomical imagery and photometry. 
necessary f o r  a r e a l i s t i c  approach t o  a man or iented photometric experiment 
from an ATM type space vehicle under the  control  of t he  scientist  as t ronauts ,  
such as  previously proposed by the  University of Arizona. The e f f o r t  t o  date  
has concentrated i n  two main areas, mechanical design and electrical design. 
Mechanical Design 
The system w i l l  demonstrate the  f e a s i b i l i t y  and effect iveness  of 
This program provides bas ic  technology 
The IDCADS system may be subdivided in to  four  bas i c  modules. The first 
u n i t  i s  a base r ing  gear which provides an In te r face  t o  the  telescope and 
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pos i t ion  angle o r i en ta t ion  of the  experimental package 
is  the mounting p l a t e  which adapts t o  the  r ing  gear and carries necessary 
guides and screws f o r  r ad ia l  posi t ioning of  the control  and da ta  co l lec t ing  
modules. 
and acquis i t ion module denoted M 1 .  
co l lec t ing  module, M2, which provides f o r  photoe lec t r ic ,  image d i s sec to r  a rea  
scanning and photographic da ta  acquis i t ion .  
The second module 
The f irst  of the modules ca r r i ed  on the  base p l a t e  is the  guidance 
The second u n i t  i s  the  p r inc ipa l  da ta  
The base r ing  gear assembly cons is t s  of an adapter p l a t e  t o  provide a 
mounting in t e r f ace  between the IDCADS instrument and the  Roller and Chivens 
o f f se t  guider which is the mounting poin t  t o  the  90-inch te lescope.  
adapter p l a t e  has been designed and fabr ica ted .  
a t taches t o  the adapter p l a t e ,  provides positioTi &ngl& o r i en ta t ion  of the  
da ta  co l lec t ing  modules. 
Bearing Company and is scheduled f o r  del ivery i n  mid-December, 
dr ive gear f o r  posi t ioning the 'ring gear has a l s o  been ordered from the  
Messinger Bearing Company f o r  del ivery i n  December. 
drawing of the  base r ing  gear and mounting p l a t e  system. 
This 
A main Ping gear, which 
The gear has been ordered from the Messinger 
The main 
Figure 1 i s  a schematic 
The main base p l a t e  provides the  mounting f o r  the  guide ra i ls  along 
This base p l a t e  which modules M 1  and M 2  a r e  s h i f t e d  i n  r a d i a l  pos i t i on ,  
mounts d i r e c t l y  t o  the outer  race of the  gear adapter.  
ca r r i e s  the dr ive mechanisms f o r  t he  r ad ia l  modules including the  dr ive  
screws, motors and encoders, 
with f i n a l  completion awaiting the  de t a i l ed  layout of modules M 1  and 142. 
dr ive  screws and precis ion nuts  f o r  module posi t ioning have been ordered 
from Saginaw Steer ing Gear (GMC). 
The base p l a t e  a l so  
The base p l a t e  is  approximately 50% designed 
The 
Delivery is  expected shor t ly .  
Module 1, which provides guidance and f i e l d  acquis i t ion ,  has been completely 
designed and fabr ica t ion  is  approximately 60% complete. Figure 2 presents  
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the  op t i ca l  schematic f o r  Module 1. I t  cons is t s  of a mirror which may be 
turned t o  d i r e c t  the telescope foca l  plane i n t o  e i t h e r  an 
viewer image d i s sec to r  o r  i n t o  the  main guidance image d issec tor .  
d i ssec tors  are ITT 4011 tube the  guider having an 0.040 
the viewer having e i t h e r  an 0.0025 o r  0.006 inch aperture .  
dimensions are determined by the  s ta r  image scale i n  the  foca l  plane of the  
telescope. The guidance module w i l l  normally Work with $tars i n  the  per iphera l  
port ions of the f i e l d  of view. 
Module 2 ,  which provides da ta  acquis i t ion ,  divide9 i n t o  four  p a r t s ,  i n  
the  center  a t u r r e t  mirror d i r e c t s  the  f i e l d  being iriewed i n t o  one of th ree  
subsections,  
photographic f i l m  system and an image d issec tor  a rea  scanning system. 
3 shows schematically the locat ions of the subsystems with respect  t o  the  
t u r r e t  mirror.  
The subsections a re  i n  turn  a photoe lec t r ic  c e l l  assembly, a 
Figure 
The photoe lec t r ic  c e l l  assembly i s  shown schematically i n  Figure 4.  The 
f i e l d  being viewed i s  i so l a t ed  with a focal  plane aperture  and i s  then relayed 
by the  t u r r e t  mirror through a s e r i e s  of f i l t e r s  and the  fabry lens  t o  the  
photocel l .  
focal  plane aperture ,  
of aper tures  ranging from .5 mm t o  10.0 mm. 
on a precis ion x-y t a b l e  which i s  posit ioned by high speed stepping motors 
under the  control  of the  guidance system i n  Module 1. Any displacement i n  
Original ly  an adjustable  i r is  diaphragffi was t o  be u t i l i z e d  a3 the 
This has now been replaced by a d i s c  with a se l ec t ion  
The aperture  assembly i s  mounted 
ed i s  compensated by reposi t ioning of 
f t ed  over a f.1 inch range at a rate 
r t u r e  posi t ioning assembly i s  present ly  being 
st be r e f r ige ra t ed  
-6 - 
MIRROR \FOCAL PLANE I ! FOCAL PLANE 
GUIDER ID #1 VIEWER I n  #2 
* 
TELESCOPE S = Shutter 
FIGURE 2 -- MODULE 1 
TO MODULE M1 PHOTOGRAPHIC 
PHOTOELECTRIC 
FIGURE 3 -- MODULE M2 TURRET MIRFXIR 
TURRET FARRY LENS 
PHOTOCELL 
EM1 6256 
EM1 9558 
or 
F = Filter 
S = Shutter 
FOCAL PLANE 
APERTURE I 
FIGURE 4 -- PHOTOELECTRIC SECTION 
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t o  obtain proper performance. 
cons is t s  of a closed loop two s tage  Freon 1 2  r e f r ige ra t ion  system. 
technique f o r  cooling was se lec ted  as being the  most compact and convenient 
fo r  the  p a r t i c u l a r  system. Alternates ,  such as powdered dry i c e  or  dry cold 
ni t rogen gas systems, are e i t h e r  mechanically inconvenient o r  i n s u f f i c i e n t l y  
developed fo r  u t i l i z a t i o n  a t  t h i s  time. 
are now being researched i n  preparat ion f o r  de t a i l ed  design. 
The method of cooling which w i l l  be u t i l i z e d  
This 
Ful l  d e t a i l s  on the  cooling system 
Figure 5 shows schematically the  op t i ca l  layout f o r  the photographic 
f i l m  system. 
t ransport  mechanism. 
re lay  lens o r  the f i l m  t ranspor t  mechanism i n  a manner very similar t o  the  
t r ans l a t ion  of the focal  plane aperture  f o r  the photoe lec t r ic  sec t ion .  
Techniques being used t o  pos i t ion  the  t r a n s f e r  lens i n  the Princeton S t r a t a -  
scope experiment are  being invest igated f o r  possible  u t i l i z a t i o n  with the  
t r ans fe r  lens i n  the IDCADS system. Portions of  the  Arizona 6-inch camera 
design, spec i f i ca l ly  the ca l ib ra t ion  and clock Svstems, &re being adapted 
f o r  use with the f i lm recording port ion of IDCADS. 
u t i l i z e d  may be the  Arizona camera 35 mm cas se t t e  o r  a l t e r n a t e  ava i lab le  
t ranspor t s  present ly  being researched. 
The foca l  plane i s  relayed v i a  a t r a n s f e r  lend t o  the  f i l m  
Guidance i s  accomplished by e i t h e r  t r ans l a t ing  the  
The f i l m  t ransport  mechanism 
The image d i s sec to r  sec t ion  of hiodule 2 i s  shown schematically i n  
Figure 6.  
through a beam s p l i t t i n g  system. 
therefore ,  possible .  
d i r e c t  def lec t ion  b i a s  under the  d i r ec t ion  of Module 1. A ca l ib ra t ion  source 
may be d i rec ted  i n t o  the  image d issec tor  system t o  provide regular  ca l ib ra t ion  
of the  cathode s e n s i t i v i t y .  
The focal  plane image i s  ie layed t o  a p a i r  of image d issec tors  
Simultaneous observation i n  two f i e l d s  is, 
Guidance of the  image d issec tors  i s  accomplished by 
The first image d i s sec to r  f o r  t he  IDCADS pro jec t  has been received. &e 
-8-  
TURRET y ~1 r ; l ~  [-I SECTION 
TURRET 
RELAY CALIB MIRROR 
---- FOCAL PLANE 
C A L I B  = C a l i b r a t i o n  
S = Shutter 
F = F i l t e r  
B/S  = B e a m s p l i t t e r  
so/so 
FIGURE 6 -- IMAGE DISSECTOR SECTION 
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cells being u t i l i z e d  are ITT 4011 image d issec tors  with S l l  cathodes. 
dark current  f o r  t h i s  type of c e l l  i s  i n  the  v i c i n i t y  of .2 x lo-’. 
current  appears t o  be pr imari ly  dynode dark current  and i s  obviously of a 
magnitude which w i l l  require  cooling f o r  s a t i s f a c t o r y  astronomical operation. 
The pr inc ipa l  complication with image d issec tor  cooling i s  t h a t  the  def lec t ion  
and focus c o i l s  which closely surround the  tube must a l so  be cooled. 
provide a constant source of heat ,  therefore ,  placing Some load on the cooling 
system. 
of  image d i s sec to r  c e l l s ;  however, there  appears t o  be no reason why these 
cells  w i l l  not respond as any o ther  normal photocell  t o  the cooling process.  
The 
The dark 
They 
Very l i t t l e  experience present ly  e x i s t s  with regard t o  t h e  cooling 
Design e f f o r t  t o  date  on Module 2 has consisted pr imari ly  of work with 
the focal  plane aperture system and the  photocell  and image d i s sec to r  cooling 
systems. Only preliminary d e t a i l s  e x i s t  f o r  the remainder of Module 2 .  
Electrical Design 
The IDCADS e l e c t r i c a l  system includes control  o f  the base frame f o r  
r ad ia l  and angular posi t ioning of Modules 1 and 2 ,  funct ional  control  of the 
operations on Modules 1 and 2 ,  and the processing and recording of da ta  
generated by Module 2 .  The image d issec tors  a re  used i n  three  d i f f e ren t  ways-- 
guidance, f i e l d  viewing and d i r e c t  photoe lec t r ic  detect ion o r  area scanning. 
The e n t i r e  IDCADS system i s  remotely control led from a console approximately 
60 f e e t  d i s t a n t  from the  assembly. 
The base frame controls  have been designed and p a r t i a l l y  constructed.  A l l  
p a r t s  have been ordered and many have been received. Controls f o r  f i l t e r  
se lec t ion ,  s h u t t e r  operation, aperture se l ec t ion ,  and various mirror and lamp 
controls  a re  present ly  i n  the  process of design. 
Design of image d i s sec to r  def lec t ion  c i r c u i t r y  f o r  the guidance and 
viewing modes of operation is  e s s e n t i a l l y  complete. These c i r c u i t s  have been 
-10- 
p a r t i a l l y  constructed.  The guidance e r r o r  detect ion a d  guidance control  
c i r c u i t r y  t o  cor rec t  e r r o r s  i n  the  telescope pos i t ion  of i n  the  various da ta  
co l lec t ing  modules have been designed and breadboarded a$ far  as the  e r r o r  
detect ion port ion.  
which of several  alternative modes i s  most practical .  
The control  c i r c u i t r y  is  under inves t iga t ion  t o  determine 
The viewing system 
operates by displaying the image d i s sec to r  SCM on a s torage oscil loscop6 
screen. 
the  system can be displayed. 
The scan from any port ion of th ree  of the f o u ~  image d issec tors  i n  
The s torage scope has been received. 
Figure 7 shows schematically how the  sigfials from the photocel l  o r  Module 
2 image d issec tors  are processed and recorded; 
t o  frequency converters a re  present ly  being invest igated t o  determine whether 
t o  u t i l i z e  commercial un i t s  o r  t o  bui ld  u n i t s  in-house from c i r c u i t s  which 
have been developed a t  o ther  i n s t i t u t i o n s .  Photometrit controls  t o  determine 
such fac tors  as input s e l ec t ion ,  gain and prescale  s e t t i n g s ,  in tegra t ion  time 
C6Unt d i rec t ion ,  and general information recording have been defined and many 
of the  p a r t s  se lec ted .  The pr inc ipa l  reversing counters have been ordered. 
Ci rcu i t ry  t o  s e l e c t  and sequence information t o  be recorded i s  designed And 
most p a r t s ,  including the  incremental tape recorder,  have been ordered. 
control  console panel layout has been completed and most of the  components 
Pulse amplif iers  and voltage 
The 
se lec ted .  
ordered. 
NsG-732 grant 
Nearly a l l  major items f o r  the  IDCADS e1ectrofd.C systems have been 
Some equipment is  shared with other  NASA programs, notably the  
I t  present ly  appears t h a t  the  first assembly and bperat ional  t e s t s  of 
the  IDCADS system can occur i n  January o r  Febraary, 1969, 
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PEP ID 3 
b 
PULSE SHAPE AND 
60' CABLE 
REVERS1 BLE COUNT REVERSIBLE COIJNT 
t CONSOLE CONTROLS 1 
I FRAME, ID 1-4, PEP, PTG, TEL, I D I SPLAYS FIGURE 7 -- IDCADS GENERAL PHOTOMETRIC CIRCUIT 
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Technical support systems for manned space astronomy Semiannual report for period ending 1 Oct. 1968

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