November 19, 2004

CSA Engineering was one of 219 small businesses selected to pursue research funded by NASA’s broad Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. Pending completion of contract negotiations, CSA will begin a six-month R&D program titled "Cryogenic Vibration Damping Mechanisms for Space Telescopes and Interferometers." The research will extend CSA spaceflight-proven vibration damping methods to extremely low temperatures and provide NASA and others a viable means for dissipating mechanical energy when normal vibration damping techniques are not feasible. CSA will demonstrate damping performance at cryo temperatures through a series of analyses, designs and tests for components relevant to missions such as James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Space Interferometry Mission (SIM), and Terrestrial Plant Finder (TPF). Starting from earlier promising tests at 20 Kelvin, the research will add to CSA’s growing capability in vibration and precision motion control at cryogenic temperatures.

NASA Press Release