American University was awarded a cooperative agreement by NASA with a ceiling value of $1.52M to develop, design, build, test, and operate infrared and visible array spectrometers and imagers for astronomical and terrestrial observations. Led principally by Mr. Allen Lunsford, American University investigators will collaborate closely with scientists and engineers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) on instruments in various stages of development, including large grating spectrometers, linear variable etalon (LVE) spectrometers, and filter-based imagers. These instrument types have demonstrated significant effectiveness in current NASA projects and hold substantial promise for future planetary astronomy, general astronomy, and Earth sciences applications.
American University staff will support all phases of instrumental and software development, including fabrication, testing, calibration, documentation, instrumental improvements and maintenance, data reduction, and data analysis. The cooperative agreement runs through December 31, 2024, and was awarded without a set-aside designation. As a private, non-profit research university positioned as a critical partner to federal agencies, American University brings extensive experience in scientific research and specialized technical services to support NASA's mission objectives. This contract represents one of multiple significant research and development awards the institution has secured across scientific and educational domains.