Development of flight technology for future laser-cooled space clocks

We report on the development of flight technologies to be used in space-based, laser-cooled atomic clocks scheduled to fly on the International Space Station. The core technologies for these and future Laser Cooling and Atomic Physics (LCAP) missions are being developed in the Time and Frequency Sciences and Technology group at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The focus is on high-risk components such as the laser and optics subsystem and mechanical shutters to provide light baffling while allowing quasi-continuous atomic beams through the clock.