When
Where
Come join us this Friday March 22nd to hear guest speaker Matthew Noyes from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory!
Matthew Noyes is an Optical Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. During his time at JPL, Matt has lead the build of several vacuum operated optical testbeds for advancing technologies that allow for the discovery of Earth-like exoplanets. This includes a contrast record setting vacuum coronagraphic testbed that will be used to prepare for NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory, and a binary-star astrometry testbed that Matthew won a JPL Voyager Award for innovation and excellence in its design. Matt obtained his Bachelors and Masters in Optical Sciences and Engineering from the James C Wyant College of Optical Science (’18 &’20). During his time in Tucson he learned to rock climb on Mt. Lemmon and continues this passion today throughout California and the southwest.
In this talk, Matt Noyes will explain what it takes to prepare a new technology for space flight mission and share some of the optical testbeds he’s built at JPL. He will introduce NASA’s Technology Readiness Level (TRL) process, and audience members will learn how optical testbeds are designed to advance the TRL of new technologies to a level that makes them compelling for flight mission proposals. To do this, Matt will share two vacuum testbeds he and his team have built to do just this: The Decadal Survey Testbed 2, and the JPL Astrometry Testbed. Matt will present the exoplanet science/technology background of these testbeds, their designs, how they operate in vacuum, and some of the science results learned so far. Matt will tie this back to how they advance the TRL of technologies that could one day fly!
The event will be held in Room 410 as usual, and pizza will be provided. You won't want to miss out on this talk!