Optical correlators for automated rendezvous and capture

Two dimensional image correlation is a robust technique for recognizing known objects and determining their position with respect to the sensing platform. This capability is of paramount importance to vehicles which must rendezvous and capture using only on-board sensors and processors. Standard digital processors can provide the necessary correlations, but their speed, weight, size and power consumption make them undesirable components of an on-board tracking system. Optical correlators provide correlation results comparable to digital systems, but with a fraction of the size, weight and power and often many times faster. This presentation discusses the application of optical correlators to Automated Rendezvous & Capture (AR&C), and the specific work being done at the Johnson Space Center and DARPA in developing optical correlator technology.