ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 17 -- United States Patent no. 12,552,555, issued on Feb. 17, was assigned to Eagle Technology LLC (Melbourne, Fla.).
"Mitigating effects of atomic oxygen" was invented by Mark Alan Hager (West Henrietta, N.Y.), Jacob Nichols (Honeoye Falls, N.Y.), Melody Renee Hawkins (Irondequoit, N.Y.) and Aaron Gabriel Salce (Ontario, N.Y.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Mitigation of erosive effects of atomic oxygen encountered by telescope systems deployed in low earth orbit (LEO is effected by providing an array of multiple very small projections on the interior surface of an open-ended tubular metering shell extending forwardly from a mirror to be protected. The projections are ma...