Central Engineering provides highly skilled and experienced engineering personnel, laboratory facilities, technical oversight, and financial reporting of project status. Senior engineering staff works closely with scientific investigators to identify and develop innovative instrument concepts, and to prepare complete proposals, including manufacturing and quality assurance plans. We provide technical services ranging from modifying or repairing a small piece of laboratory test equipment to providing the instrument concept, formal proposal, design, fabrication, assembly, test, integration, functional test, and mission operations support for space-borne instruments.

CE engineers and technicians have extensive experience in the design and production of a wide range of research instruments:

• Ground-based telescopes and related instruments
• Detectors, cameras, and telescopes deployed as rocket, balloon, or shuttle payloads or on orbiting satellites for both long and short duration space-based investigations
• Ground support, test, and handling equipment
• Experiment hardware

The department has particular strength in areas related to its primary objective: producing high resolution astrophysical instrumentation, both unique and in limited production run. Specific expertise includes:

• 3D Modeling and Design
• Structural Design and Modeling
• Optical Design and Modeling
• Thermal Design and Modeling
• Dynamics Modeling
• Control System Design and Modeling
• Electronics Design, Simulation and Fabrication
• PC Board Design, Layout and Fabrication
• Instrument Operation Software (Including Flight Software)
• Sensor Design and Control (Optical Sensors, etc.)
• Systems Engineering
• Risk Assessment and Management
• Detailed Error Analysis and Budgeting
• Product Assurance

The Central Engineering Department is structured so as to be maximally flexible and responsive to scientific investigators' requirements for any type of engineering support. This philosophy is reflected in all of the department's policies, procedures, and administrative systems; which are continually evolving as ways are identified to improve efficiency and cost effectiveness.