When
Where
Title
Doing it for the 'Graph (Design, Function, and System Test Results of the Roman Coronagraph Instrument)
Abstract
As the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope approaches its planned launch date in 2027, the engineers of one of its two instruments have recent cause to celebrate. Roman’s Coronagraph Instrument (CGI), a technology demonstration chasing direct images of Jupiter-like exoplanets, completed its system-level thermal vacuum test in May 2024, successfully demonstrating that it performs to its threshold requirements in a flight-like environment. Please join me as we walk through the design, function, and performance demonstration of one of the most complex optical instruments NASA has ever attempted to fly.
Bio
Caleb W Baker is an optical engineer and group supervisor from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He received his Ph.D. in Optics from the University of Arizona where he specialized in ultrafast semiconductor laser design and engineering. Since joining JPL he has worked on a variety of spaceflight optical systems including laser metrology, Psyche’s Deep Space Optical Communication terminal, and CGI. His major roles on CGI were Optical Systems Engineer for the instrument’s Deformable Mirrors and later manager of the simulated star source used during ground-based testing of the coronagraph.
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