Statement of work.pdf

Statement of work

Build the telescope structure for the Balloon Sodium Lidar to measure Tides in the Antarctic Region (B‐SoLiTARe)

Technical details

Balloon telescope structure for 20” f/2.4 parabolic mirrors produced by Lockwood Custom Optics. The design of the telescope structure is based on the BOLIDE telescope flown successfully on the PMC Turbo Balloon Mission. The structure has a hexagonal cross section and its main features are a machined aluminum base plate for mirror support, a carbon fiber truss for increased thermal stability, a robust spider for mounting an optical fiber as well as a focusing stage in the focal plane, and six side panels acting as radiation shields. The structure can be easily disassembled for shipping and transport in small aircrafts such as DHC‐6 Twin Otter aircrafts used by the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility for recovery of balloon payloads in Antarctica. All parts are designed and qualified to survive and provide high mechanical stability over a wide temperature range (‐80°C to +80°C) covering all phases of balloon missions from launch till landing. There are several options for attaching the telescope structure to a balloon gondola and laser transmitter. Removable mounting brackets are included.