ABSTRACT

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We live in an age when technology developments combined with the innate human

urge to imagine and innovate are yielding astounding inventions at an unpreced-

ented rate. In particular, the past 20 years have seen a disruptive technology called

microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) emerge and blossom in multiple ways.

The commercial appeal of MEMS technologies lies in their low cost in high-volume

production, their inherent miniature-form factor, their ultralow mass and power,

their ruggedness, all with attendant complex functionality, precision, and accuracy.

We are extremely interested in utilizing MEMS technology for future space mission

for some of the very same reasons.