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The 2022-2023 NPOI capstone will be based on the Fast Delay Lines (FDL), specifically the seal plates and snoots. The project includes designing rear seal plates, front seal plates with snoots, a snoot adjustment fixture, and a snoot split design. The team will design a simple rear seal plate to hold the moderate FDL vacuum, as well as integrate sight ports in the seal plate for easy inspection.

Client: Jim Clark

Director and Chief Engineer at the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer

The Navy Precision Optical Interferometer (NPOI), an astronomical long-baseline optical interferometer, has been in operation on Anderson Mesa, just outside Flagstaff, Arizona, since 1994. This facility was funded by the Naval Research Lab and the U.S. Naval Observatory and built on Forest Service land supplied using a Special Use Permit (SUP), held by Lowell Observatory. An aerial view of the site, shown in Figure 1, illustrates the general shape and layout of the 2.2-meter to 437-meter baseline array. The NPOI has a unique capacity for detecting and determining motions and orbits of binary systems. Many regional partners collaborate with NPOI to take advantage of its unique capabilities, including Northern Arizona University, New Mexico Tech, Seabrook Engineering, Tennessee State University, and Lowell Observatory.