Photos Through Questar Surveillance Instruments
The real test of a lens is to increase focal length until it no longer makes useful images.
The exacting tolerances that Questar guarantees contribute to both resolution and
the versatility
of the lenses. There are times when extended focal lengths are required to do the job.
Although atmospheric conditions often make photography at these focal lengths very difficult,
the photos demonstrate that Questar lenses will make the images at high magnification.
This photo was taken with a 55mm lens from a distance of
3.5 kilometers.
Left Arrow This photo was taken | Right Arrow This photo was taken |
"These photos depict the intercept between a Hera target missile with a PAC3
interceptor at White Sands Missile Range. A Questar SZ180 telescope was used
with a
Cohu 8215 color CCD camera to collect the imagery. The Questar
telescope and color
camera are part of a suite of sensors mated to
Raytheon's Sea Lite Beam Director located
at the Army's High Energy Laser
Test Facility. The SLBD is a 1.8-meter telescope/ pointer-tracker
capable of
placing a high-energy laser beam on tactical and strategic targets of
opportunity.
The SLBD also has the ability to image and optically track
targets through its main and
offset tracker apertures which the Questar
SZ180 telescope is aligned to."
Unclassified photos and text courtesy of Frank Silva
Target Missile in Center | Approaching Target Missile |
Target Acquired | Target Destroyed |
Target Missile Debris | Debris Trail |
These are unclassified pictures of video taken of the International Space
Station.
The Cohu color
camera is the sensor mated to the Questar SZ180 telescope.
The MWIR and
LWIR photos are taken with a 1.5 meter telescope and are
included to give
a magnified image.
Unclassified photos courtesy of Frank Silva
ISS with SZ180 | ISS with 1.5 Meter (MWIR) |