Miniaturized Lidar for Mars (MiLi)>Field Campain

Optics Integration

Concept to Reality

We are putting together the MiLi lidar at the moment (integration). Like a LEGO figure, MiLi is made up by hundreds of parts (mechanical, optical, electronic, optoelectronic), most “home designed and built” , that we are putting together carefully. Its reduced size (a DIN-A4 box in size approximately) make it a laborious process to attach every piece with the next one, specially when it is the time to tighten the screws! The assembly is being done at INTA premises, one of the project Consortium partners, with pieces and elements built by other partners: Politecnico Di Milano, The Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Research Center (CINN), asphericon and Integrated Optics. A cleanroom is being used, to ensure that the MiLi eyes (optical lenses) keep clean, so MiLi will have a clear view of the sky when it is working. MiLi has two lasers emitters and a receiver telescope, all inside the MiLi box. When MiLi is in its final shape, it will travel to Toronto to be finally tuned at CRESS at York University, another partner in the MiLi project.

Field Diaphram	Receiver Telescope
Vis Emitter Integration	Mili Vis Emitter Unit
Picture Credit: Marianela Fernández Rodríguez, Dpto. de Óptica Espacial (LINES), INTA, Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial