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Special News: RSI is very excited to announce the successful deployment of the Remote Atmospheric and Ionospheric Detection System (RAIDS) instrument on the International Space Station. RSI designed, built, and fabricated, the FUV, MUV, NUV, and NIR spectrometers, telescopes, detector modules, and power supplies for the RAIDS instrument. For more information, and the video of the deployment, see our RAIDS page.

SINCE 1976, Research Support Instruments (RSI) has provided research and development services, systems engineering, and technical support services to government and industry customers.

As a subsidiary of Physical Sciences Inc., RSI provides Clementine Lunar Mapping the extensive capabilities and resources of a larger company coupled with the responsiveness, flexibility, and undivided attention only a small company can offer. RSI's professional staff of scientists, engineers, and technicians work individually or as a team, assuring you of the expertise and level of support required to meet your specific requirements on time and within budget.

RSI operates from offices in Lanham, MD and Princeton, NJ, with additional on-site support activity at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, DC. RSI’s core business areas are research and development, systems engineering, instrument test and calibration, and experiment support.

From the long-term monitoring of atmospheric ozone to the highly-successful Clementine lunar mapping mission, RSI personnel have played key roles in Government and commercial space experiments and technology demonstrations.

Research Support Instruments' main office is located in Lanham, Maryland. The Lanham office has focused on space missions, while the Princeton office concentrates on plasma effects and material science. Our NRL on-site teams have provide experimental facility support in plasma physics and laser communications.

Lanham Operations

The Lanham, Maryland Operations develop space instrumentation and perform research in space sciences, theoretical and experimental plasma physics, optics, and radiometry. For the past ten years, RSI-Lanham has provided high quality science, engineering, and systems RSI Laboratory support for customers including the Navy, Air Force, and NASA. For example, the Lanham Operations led the payload integration and payload operations teams for the successful Clementine Moon-mapping mission. The 5337-square-foot Lanham office houses optics and microwave laboratories.

NRL On-site Operations

NRL on-site operations support the Plasma Physics Division in its operation of, and research with, high power lasers. Devices include the Pharos, T-Cubed, and NIKE laser systems. The group conducts research in laser device Nike Final Mirror Array physics, beam propagation, laser-material processing, and remote sensing. Recent activities include research in longitudinal compression of short pulses in air, guided electric discharges triggered by femtosecond laser filaments, and chemical/biological agent detection using ultraviolet fluorescence spectroscopy.

Princeton Operations

The Princeton, New Jersey Operations, led by John Kline, develops diagnostic equipment and specialize in materials science, plasma physics, and electric propulsion. Projects have included development of high speed, fiber-optic pressure probes and specialized control systems, as well as research into plasma Microwave Thruster aerodynamics. Clients include the Air Force, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, the Naval Research Laboratory, and Princeton University. Projects include development of a high pressure electron beam array, a micro-machined mass spectrometer, and a microwave plasma control system for hypersonic vehicles. Collaborators include the Aerospace Corporation, Princeton University, and the Ohio State University. The facility includes 350 square feet of laboratory space with plasma diagnostics, optics, and vacuum systems.

Researchers at the Princeton Operations hold guest staff positions at Princeton University's Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department. Princeton's facilities are used for various projects, and Princeton University's Photonics and Optoelectronic Materials (POEM) Micro-Fabrication Laboratories provide nanotechnology fabrication capabilities.