What is the Purpose of This Aluminum Laser with No Markings?

[dmar]

TL;DR Summary

What is this laser?

Hello smart folks! I recently discovered this item in the estate of a former space shuttle engineer. He was responsible for replacing major components on the space shuttles as well as the crawler. It has no property markings…only the laser warning sticker. My curiosity has me here to, hopefully, find someone that can identify it and it’s intended purpose. It weighs about 6 lbs and is constructed of aluminum. I have spent countless hours researching and cannot find anything like it anywhere. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for taking the time, Dave

 

[Tom.G]

I can't read all of the label, but here is what I've found:

• The manufacturer still shows up on a Google search
• The two patents on the label indicate that it is a diode Laser in a TO-5 transistor package
• It appears to be a pre-aligned assembly in that conical package for accurate aiming
• The power output is 1mW (low power, as used in Laser pointers)
• The wavelength can not be completely deciphered in the photo but seems to be in the range of Dark Red to Near Infrared.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[DaveE]

Note that manufacturers must put their warning stickers where humans can see them. Not necessarily where the laser actually is. I suspect there is much about that conical thing that is the result of ancillary requirements. Most 1mW diode lasers don't look like that.

Your photo of the label is really really hard to read, so what's the point of posting it? I think it says 670nm, which would be a common red diode laser wavelength. If the peak power is 1mW, that isn't very informative of the actual power, since it's so low. I would presume it's CW with such low peak power.

Anyway, there are lots of things you could do with a low power red laser, we won't know about the application from the warning label. As if I showed you a picture of a light bulb and asked what it was used to illuminate. If I had to place an uneducated bet, I'd go for some opto-mechanical alignment system (i.e. a pointer).

 

[Klystron]

I concur with both previous posts.

The rigid conical housing provides alignment for calibration when slotted into correct aperture. This article on optical boresighting includes a section on laser alignment of firearms, not to imply your souvenir relates to a weapon system.