Abstract
The Comet Performance Engineering Workspace is an environment that enables integrated, multidisciplinary
modeling and design/simulation process automation. One of the many multi-disciplinary
applications of the Comet Workspace is for the integrated Structural, Thermal, Optical Performance
(STOP) analysis of complex, multi-disciplinary space systems containing Electro-Optical (EO) sensors
such as those which are designed and developed by and for NASA and the Department of Defense. The
CometTM software is currently able to integrate performance simulation data and processes from a wide
range of 3-D CAD and analysis software programs including CODE VTM from Optical Research
Associates and SigFitTM from Sigmadyne Inc. which are used to simulate the optics performance of EO
sensor systems in space-borne applications.
Over the past year, Comet Solutions has been working with MZA Associates of Albuquerque, NM, under
a contract with the Air Force Research Laboratories. This funded effort is a "risk reduction effort", to help
determine whether the combination of Comet and WaveTrainTM, a wave optics systems engineering
analysis environment developed and maintained by MZA Associates and used by the Air Force Research
Laboratory, will result in an effective Model-Based Engineering (MBE) environment for the analysis and
design of laser weapons systems.
This paper will review the results of this effort and future steps.
