Thermal Design and Test Verification of the NEMO Optical Bench 2000-01-2270
The Naval EarthMap Observer (NEMO) satellite will fly a space-based hyperspectral camera and a panchromatic camera which will collect broad-area unclassified imagery over land and ocean on a global basis for direct use by Naval forces and the Civil Sector. Due to the tight requirements for alignment between the two cameras and the attitude control sensors, the optical bench and its mounting brackets are being made out of composite materials. This paper discusses the thermal design issues of the NEMO optical bench and the testing being done to qualify the design and these composite materials.
