Blog — NASA

Throughout our World Space Week series, we’ve talked about satellites, lasers, telescopes, software, and many other applications of our optical systems. We’ve also discussed the years of work and research and development that goes into creating them. Now, we’re turning our lens on a simple optical component that’s used in many of the devices that you use every day. It’s one that you’ve likely never noticed or considered—the retroreflector. Safety firstYou know, that plastic reflector you see on your bike, or the “cats’ eye” embedded in the road, or the shiny elements on your running shoes? They’re actually very interesting  pieces...

Esco started out as an optics supplier for amateur astronomers. And things just took off from there. Today, we work with NASA and other leading aeronautics organizations, helping to develop the optical technologies that are providing first looks at never before seen galaxies, light years away. Talk about moving up to the big leagues. Satellite optics on the launchpadThese new technologies are everywhere, from everyday items to satellites orbiting the Earth. The James Webb Space Telescope launched in Dec 2021 is the most sophisticated space telescope ever built with an estimated cost of $10 billion dollars. Space instrumentation is expensive and very complicated...

It’s World Space Week—Day 2. So, let’s start with some humor. Around the shop, we often joke that the best lasers are the ones mounted on sharks. But what’s better than shark-mounted lasers? Well, that’s easy. Space lasers (and no, we don’t mean the Death Star). Ok, back to space lasers. Real space lasers. We provide a lot of optics for lasers, and some of the baddest lasers are coming from our clients at NASA. These space lasers are capable of doing incredible things, including measuring surfaces and elevation from space. Precision performanceWhat makes the lasers so amazing is that they’re...

 At Esco, we’re always looking for new and innovative ways to do things and develop new products. And who better to partner with when where pushing the envelope than NASA? Currently, we have a few top-secret projects in the works with the space administration. We’re documenting the whole process and capturing all the details as we create optics for NASA’s groundbreaking technologies. We can’t wait to share it with you. But for now, you’ll just have to trust us—it’s some pretty cool stuff. Today, we want to talk about something different—World Space Week (WSW). It’s an annual holiday observed from...