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Southwest Research Institute — Solid-State Fine Steering

FO canceled at TRL 4→4. Solid-state fine steering approach for balloon telescopes did not advance. SwRI's balloon telescope work continues through proven Fine Steering Mirror (FSM) approach.

Summary

Southwest Research Institute (Boulder CO) — Eliot Young PI — attempted FO demonstration of an integrated camera and solid-state fine steering system for balloon-borne telescopes 91392. The project was canceled at TRL 4→4 (2013–2016). The solid-state approach was different from the successful Fine Steering Mirror (FSM) demonstrated on BOPPS (2014), which remains the field standard. Eliot Young continues balloon planetary science at SwRI (NASA missions Lucy, New Horizons team). The BOPPS gondola design was adopted by SUNRISE III solar observatory. This FO project is a genuine dead end for the specific technology, but SwRI's balloon telescope program thrives through other means.

PI: Eliot F Young
Confidence: confirmed (cancellation, zero TRL advance)

FO Project

Field Detail
Project ID 91392
Title Flight Demonstration of an Integrated Camera and Solid-State Fine Steering System
Period 2013-10-30 – 2016-10-30
Status Canceled
TRL 4→4
TX area TX08.2.1: Mirror Systems

Context: At stratospheric altitudes (~120,000 ft), balloon payloads float above 99.5% of the atmosphere. In theory, a large balloon telescope could match Hubble-class resolution. The challenge is pointing stability — balloon gondolas pendulate and rotate. Fine steering corrects residual pointing errors.

Solid-state vs. FSM: The BOPPS mission (Sep 2014) demonstrated a mechanical Fine Steering Mirror (FSM) running at 100 Hz — successfully. This FO project aimed for a solid-state (likely electro-optic or acoustic-optic) equivalent. The solid-state approach would have advantages (faster, lighter, no moving parts) but apparently could not achieve the required performance at TRL 4.

Outcome Anomaly

TechPort shows: - "Advanced From | 2013-10-30 | partner: Other"
- "Advanced To | 2014-08-01 | partner: Other"
- "Canceled | 2016-10-30"

The "Advanced To" (2014-08-01) during an active project is the known FO data error pattern. Not a real outcome.

BOPPS / SwRI Balloon Success (Parallel Track)

The BOPPS (Balloon Observation Platform for Planetary Science) mission (September 2014) was the successful parallel balloon telescope effort: - Flew from Fort Sumner, NM - FSM (fine steering mirror) demonstrated at 100 Hz - Observed Oort cloud comets and planetary targets - Gondola design subsequently used by SUNRISE III (balloon-borne solar observatory) - Published in Solar Physics journal (2025)

BOPPS's success confirmed FSM as the viable path. The FO solid-state approach was likely abandoned because BOPPS already provided a working solution via conventional optics.

Eliot Young's Continued Work

Eliot Young is a principal scientist at SwRI Boulder focused on outer solar system planetary science: - Member of New Horizons team (Pluto flyby) - Member of Lucy mission team (Trojan asteroids) - Continued involvement in balloon planetary science community - The BOPPS work established SwRI as a leading group for stratospheric planetary observations

His research continues independent of the canceled FO project.

Outcome Assessment

Dimension Finding
Technology Canceled, TRL 4→4 — solid-state approach didn't reach demonstration
Alternative BOPPS FSM (100 Hz) succeeded as the field standard
SwRI balloon program Continues strongly via BOPPS/planetary science track
Commercial None — academic/research program

Archetype: FO project testing an alternative approach to an already-solved problem. When BOPPS demonstrated FSM successfully (Sep 2014), the solid-state FO project lost its raison d'être. Dead end for the specific technology; the field moved forward via a different path.

Data quality note: TX08.2.1 (Mirror Systems) correctly identifies the technology domain even though solid-state doesn't use a traditional mirror. The taxonomy is appropriate.

Cross-references