Space Shuttle Columbia Launch to Deliver Imaging Technology From SITe, Inc. for Major Upgrade of the Hubble Space Telescope.Business Editors, Technology Writers PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2002 Tomorrow's planned Space Shuttle space shuttle, reusable U.S. space vehicle. Developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), it consists of a winged orbiter, two solid-rocket boosters, and an external tank. Columbia launch is to begin an 11-day mission to upgrade several systems on the Hubble Space Telescope Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the first large optical orbiting observatory. Built from 1978 to 1990 at a cost of $1.5 billion, the HST (named for astronomer E. P. Hubble) was expected to provide the clearest view yet obtained of the universe. , including installation of an Advanced Camera for Surveys The Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) is a third generation axial instrument aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The initial design and scientific capabilities of ACS were defined by a team based at Johns Hopkins University. (ACS (Asynchronous Communications Server) See network access server. ) featuring products from Scientific Imaging Technologies, Inc. (SITe), the world leader in charge-coupled device See CCD. (electronics) charge-coupled device - (CCD) A semiconductor technology used to build light-sensitive electronic devices such as cameras and image scanners. CCDs can be made to detect either colour or black-and-white. (CCD CCD in full charge-coupled device Semiconductor device in which the individual semiconductor components are connected so that the electrical charge at the output of one device provides the input to the next device. ) technology. The SITe imaging sensor was selected by NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. contractor Ball Aerospace to replace a SITe-based imager that has operated successfully in the Hubble since 1997. The SITe technology will enable the Hubble to see farther, more clearly, and in greater detail than ever before possible. It is estimated that the Hubble's imaging system will be 10 times more powerful than its current system. That will give the Hubble viewing performance that equates to an ability to see -- from Washington, D.C. -- two fireflies flying six feet apart in Tokyo, and discerning that there were two different fireflies, not just one. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Bill Stephens, director of business development at SITe, "Our team in Portland was uniquely qualified to develop the largest-area, highest-resolution, highest-performance, science-grade image sensor An image sensor is a device that converts a visual image to an electric signal. It is used chiefly in digital cameras and other imaging devices. It is usually an array of charge-coupled devices (CCD) or CMOS sensors such as active-pixel sensors. for visible and UV spectral applications. The team at SITe rose to the challenge, and it's a thrill for the company that its technology is a key element to this shuttle mission." NASA launched the 12.5-ton Hubble Space Telescope in April 1990, fixing it in a 300-mile-high orbit above earth. With a resolving power resolving power: see telescope. Resolving power (optics) A quantitative measure of the ability of an optical instrument to produce separable images. 10 times better than that of any earth-bound telescope, the Hubble has provided astronomers and other researchers with reams of data and spectacular images of celestial bodies. The ACS being carried on Friday's planned shuttle mission will replace the Faint Object Camera The Faint Object Camera (FOC) was a camera installed on the Hubble Space Telescope until 2002. It was replaced by the Advanced Camera for Surveys. The camera was built by Dornier GmbH and was funded by the European Space Agency. , the last of the original cluster of axial instruments on the Hubble. The wedge-shaped, three-meter long ACS contains three imaging channels: Wide Field, High Resolution, and Solar Blind. The Wide Field Channel contains two SITe 2K x 4K chips that form a 4K x 4K mosaic. The High Resolution Channel uses a single 1K x 1K SITe device. The Solar Blind camera uses a crossed-anode technology made by Ball Aerospace. About Thinned, Charge-Coupled Devices from SITe, Inc. CCDs are the key components in digital imaging systems, replacing vacuum tube-based imagers and film used in conventional cameras. Combined with optics, a cooling system, and operating electronics, these highly sensitive microchips produce high-resolution images by turning light into a stream of electronic signals, which can be recorded and displayed on a computer monitor or television screen. SITe's CCD technology incorporates a proprietary, patented process for thinning and strengthening the substrate to accommodate back-illumination of the pixels, a process which yields devices with very-high quantum efficiency (QE) over a wide range of wavelengths from near-infrared to ultraviolet. QE -- or light-detection efficiency -- measures the percentage of incident photons a CCD can detect; some photons may not be absorbed due to reflection or another type of loss. When configured with an anti-reflective coating, a thinned, back-illuminated SITe CCD can deliver QE in excess of 90 percent. When the photon falls on the CCD, it is absorbed and generates an electron. These electrons are collected in the "bucket" nearest the point where the photon was absorbed. The number of electrons collected in a pixel depends on how many photons fall on that pixel, that is, the brightness of the scene at that point. After the camera shutter closes, the number of electrons in each pixel are measured and a voltage proportionate to that number is generated. That voltage can be amplified, digitized, stored, and displayed. In 1997, the SITe technology deployed on the Hubble was applied to an early-detection breast biopsy Breast Biopsy Definition A breast biopsy is removal of breast tissue for examination by a pathologist. This can be accomplished surgically, or by withdrawing tissue through a needle. system currently used in hospitals worldwide. In addition, SITe CCDs are used in protein crystallography and in the development of new drugs and therapies. Other application markets include manufacturing quality control, environmental monitoring, and security inspection and surveillance. About SITe, Inc. Headquartered in Tigard, Oregon, Scientific Imaging Technologies, Inc., (SITe) is the world leader in the research, design, development, and manufacture of silicon charge-coupled devices (CCDs). SITe products are used in astronomy, medical, biomedical bi·o·med·i·cal adj. 1. Of or relating to biomedicine. 2. Of, relating to, or involving biological, medical, and physical sciences. , spectroscopy, manufacturing quality control, environmental monitoring, and nondestructive testing applications. SITe is located at 10500 S.W. Nimbus Avenue, Tigard, OR 97223-4310; telephone: 503/431-7199, fax 503/431-7110. For more information email ccd@site-inc.com or visit www.site-inc.com. SITe is a registered trademark of SITe, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. |
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