Sheldon Stokes Email & Phone Number

Hanover, Nh

R&D Engineer and Designer.

Fort Wayne, Indiana Area

Technical lead and cost account manager for the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) internal calibration target. This involved the design, testing and fabrication of a very high emissivity full-aperture calibration target for use in the SWIR through LWIR. This effort involved thermal, optical and mechanical analysis of the target as well as optical coating design and measurement. In addition to the selection of a suitable high emissivity coating, and developing a coating process, both the surface coating coupons and entire calibration target are measured for required performance. The ICT design also relies on precision temperature measurement. The calibration of these precise temperature sensors was performed in-house using milli-kelvin class temperature calibration facilities, which were developed for this effort. Technical lead and cost account manager for the CrIS interferometer module, which was manufactured by an outside firm. This involved overseeing the production and testing of the interferometer and associated hardware and electronics. The effort also required providing technical, cost and schedule support to the sub-contractor. The effort also consisted of module level and system level testing at the sub-contractor as well as in-house prior to integration into the instrument. Developed a precision temperature sensor calibration facility within ITT for calibration of critical temperature sensors within the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI), and CrIS instruments. This capability was developed in response to problems with third-party calibration services, and provides high precision temperature calibrations while also providing them in a clean contamination-free environment using materials and techniques appropriate for space-flight instruments.

Ft. Belvoir Va

Supported the Army Night Vision Electronic Sensors Directorate in the design and fabrication of several airborne hyper-spectral imaging systems based on the Army’s COMPASS sensor design. Developed automated laboratory calibration methods and applications for the sensor. Lead and directed the design team in the development and fabrication of additional variations of the Army COMPASS airborne hyper-spectral imaging instrument. This instrument consists of a 256 band imaging spectrometer that covers the visible to SWIR (400 nM to 2500 nM) wavelength range, a high resolution panchromatic line-scan camera, and an inertial reference unit (IMU) to allow each pixel to be geo-referenced to a specific ground latitude and longitude. This instrument was designed for airborne wide area search of camouflaged, concealed, and deceived (CC&D) targets. Developed laboratory hardware and software for automated radiometric and spectral calibration of the COMPASS sensor. The radiometric and spectral calibration of the instrument is now an automated process that allows very precise and repeatable calibrations. Produced libraries and routines to allow the laboratory to extend the capabilities of the existing hardware.Designed a new universal sensor mounting system for use on multiple aircraft, allowing the entire sensor system to be transported and stored without dis-assembly and thus re-boresighting.

Albuquerque Nm

Lead the design team in the development of the Visible Grating Spectral Polarimeter (VGSP). This line imaging polarimeter covers a 350 nM to 900 nM wavelength range. The instrument is based on a grating spectrometer and a custom designed optical front end consisting of a polarizer and rotating quarter wave plate. Support of this project consisted of optical and mechanical design of the various elements, as well as writing the calibration and operational code for the instrument. Continued support of atmospheric characterization support for the Air Force Research Lab, which included hot-wire anemometry experiments on a variety of airborne platforms and stationary platforms. Experimental systems were refined and improved. Analysis techniques were advanced and a better understanding of the atmosphere and associated optical turbulence properties were obtained to support the Airborne Laser Program. Spearheaded the development of the Dynamically Rigid Metrology System (DRMS) as the Senior Design Engineer. This project is part of a joint venture between ATA and R3. This system, currently in the developmental phase, uses optical techniques to precisely measure the position of a detector within a given coordinate space. This system will be especially advantageous in very large and very small scale manufacturing and measurement applications. The system development entailed significant electronic design and testing, as well as mechanical design, fabrication, and mathematical modeling. This project required an extensive knowledge of tensor mathematics and coordinate transformations. This project also required the understanding, design, and construction of low noise electronic circuits. For more information, see patent number 5,666,202.

Albuquerque, New Mexico Area

Designed and conducted experiments and developed analysis techniques to further understanding of atmospheric turbulence as it relates to optical propagation.Developed a hot-wire aerothermal data collection and analysis system which was used to measure in-flight atmospheric conditions in a non-isothermal compressible environment. Data has been collected using a KC-135 aircraft as well as a Gulfstream II aircraft. Data gathered from locations worldwide has been used to further the understanding of atmospheric turbulence and to support the design of the airborne laser.Refined analysis techniques to account for all the sensitivities of the aerothermal system and to extract the needed time-varying temperature data from the time-varying velocity, pressure, and temperature data using novel multi-dimensional analysis techniques. Designed other aero-thermal experiments to characterize optical and acoustic atmosphere measurement equipment. These experiments calibrated and provided a reference point for existing measurement sensors. Data acquisition and analysis software was developed and implemented.

Phd, Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering

Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Mark N. Glauser Thesis: Single And Multi-Point Measurement Techniques Used In The Study Of Separated Flows.

Ms, Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering

Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Mark N. Glauser Thesis: An Experimental Investigation of the 2D Backstep & Two-Step Flow Geometry Using Laser.

Bsme, Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering

Second part of 3-2 program with Allegheny College

Bs, Physics

First part of 3-2 program with Clarkson University