Overview:

CE Systems Engineers provide overall conceptual design and performance prediction for projects, as well as specialized support in those engineering areas that require a high degree of cross disciplinary knowledge. The group's broad experience enables them to provide engineering services that range from tightly focused support in a specialty area to overall systems responsibility for large projects. They have particular expertise in ground and space-based astronomy hardware, and the ability to translate scientific requirements into realistic and robust designs.

Specific experience includes:

• Conceptual design and trade studies.
• Thermal system design and analysis, for space and ground-based telescopes and instruments.
• Optical systems design and analysis.
• Systems engineering documentation, including specifications and requirements, error budgets, and performance prediction.
• Control Systems, including spacecraft pointing and attitude, aspect determination, and active control of mechanical systems.
• Test Support, including software for data acquisition, real-time data capture, and test data analysis.

Engineering Tools:

• Specific software tools available to support systems and thermal engineering work include:


• Thermal modelers: SINDA, TRASYS,TAK-3, RadCad, TMG, etc
• General Analysis: SDRC I-DEAS, MathCad, and MATLAB
• Visual Data Analysis: PV-Wave, IDL, pgplot, smongo, and Python
• Optical Modeling and Analysis: OSAC, ZEMAX
• SAO developed software:
• Systems engineering staff also write specialized software when needed.

Laboratory Facilities:

Central Engineering operates a number of engineering laboratories at Cambridge Discovery Park, including a large assembly, test, and calibration area as well as a dedicated Materials/Thermal Test Laboratory.

Among the equipment available to support systems and thermal engineering are:

• Optical benches and surface plates
• Clean tents and flow benches
• Thermal chambers
• Data acquisition equipment, both analog and computerized digital
• Vacuum systems
• X-ray test facilities
• Absolute Arm Laser Tracker
• Coordinated Measuring Machine (CMM)
• Laser Interferometer

For more information on CE Laboratories (Click here)