# Presentation: 499869

## Sandia National LabsLAZAP Facility, Laser Safety

**Sandia National Labs****LAZAP Facility, Laser Safety**

**David Denning**
**Sandia National Labs**
**Laser Applications (LAZAP) Project Lead**
**17 July 2008**

**This Presentation is UNCLASSIFIED**

- Conference For Laser Safety Professionals July 15-17

## Overview

- LAZAP Mission, description of what we do
- Laser hazards and concerns
- Laser safety / hazard mitigation
- Summary

## LAZAP MISSION

**LAZAP MISSION**

- Develop and implement techniques for on-orbit testing and calibration of electro-optic sensors on-board earth-orbiting satellites. In short, we illuminate sensors on-board satellites with a class 4 laser.

## Facility Location

- The LAZAP facility is located on Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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## LAZAP History

- The LAZAP facility has 35+ years of practical experience in propagating a laser into space.
- Fix point shooting
- Satellite illumination
- Geosynchronous Orbits
- Low Earth Orbits
- Sun Synchronous Orbits
- Molniya Orbit

## LAZAP Facility Layout

## Laser Control/Safety Station

## Beam Director

- The beam director is a 30-inch aperture Cassegrain telescope.
- It is used for directing laser beams to satellites in orbit.
- Capable of tracking satellites from low-earth to geosynchronous orbits.

## Laser Sources

- Sandia 694.3nm (ruby), 1-10msec PW, 350J.
- SEO Schwartz 1319nm, 150us PW, 900mJ.
- SEO Schwartz 1064nm, 150us PW, 1.3J.
- SEO Schwartz 771nm, 120us PW, 500mJ.
- Big Sky 532nm, 8ns PW, 235mJ.

## Hazards/Concerns

- Class 4 lasers propagating into space
- Not eye safe anywhere in the earths atmosphere
- Prevent illuminating aircraft in the beam path
- Prevent illuminating other satellites
- Class 4 lasers and high voltage accessible to personnel in an unlocked and sometimes unmanned building
- Cameras and diagnostic equipment in the beam path

## Safety/Interlock System 1

- Allen Bradley SLC-500 Programmable Logic Control System
- Approximately  125 inputs
- TTL
- 24VDC
- Analog
- Approximately  100 outputs
- Relay
- +5V and +24VDC

## Safety/Interlock System 2

- Two Allen-Bradley Remote monitoring stations located in the telescope room and laser room.

## Interlock Philosophy

- Operations Mode and Maintenance Mode
- The Mode is set Dynamically
- System detects the level of hazard by monitoring which interlocks are set
- Maintenance Mode:  The beam is contained inside the building
- Operations Mode:  The beam can leave the building

## Airspace Safety

- Hardware controls
- Beam-Director is interlocked at 20 deg elevation
- Engineering controls
- Training (Corporate and site specific)
- Operating procedures and hazard analysis documentation
- Operating agreement with the FAA

- Three member airspace safety team
- Two Visual Observers
- One Radar Operator
- Each team member has an interlock switch capable of preventing the laser from firing

## RAMS User Interface

- LAZAP utilizes a live feed from the local FAA to monitor aircraft location.  The feed has a 60 mile range.

## Avoiding Other Satellites

- Approval from the satellite owner
- Request Predictive Avoidance (PA) times from the Laser Clearinghouse
- Send list of targets
- Time of mission
- Laser being used
- Facility location
- Enter the safe to fire times into the computer that interfaces with the PLC interlock control

## Building Access

- Only authorized users can gain access to the building
- Setting the door interlock
- Authorized user turns their key (visual and audible alarms triggered)
- The user then has seven seconds to enter the building
- The door interlock will remain set until the door is opened

## Protecting Equipment

- Very busy optical table
- Interlock on every movable component
- Interlock on camera turning mirror
- Moisture sensors on the table and floor

## Summary

- SNL LAZAP facility propagates Class 4 lasers into space.
- Use Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) for the interlock/safety system
- Every member of the safety team can stop the laser from firing
- Put interlock switches on everything

## Questions

- Contact Information
- David Denning
- Sandia National Labs
- PO Box 5800, Albuquerque, NM 87185-1063
- Office: (505) 844-5848
- Email: djdenni@sandia.gov