Calibration
Capabilities

Enabling Capabilities

The White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) Calibration Laboratory ensures that instruments used to make measurements are accurate by calibrating them against recognized standards. This laboratory uses measurement standards traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), or to NIST-accepted intrinsic standards of measurement or derived by the ratio type of
self-calibration techniques. These calibrations comply with MIL-STD-45662A, ANSI/NCSL Z540.1-1999 (R2002) and are pursuing ANSI/NCSL Z540.3.

Calibration Management and Logistics

Maintenance of instruments at peak performance
Recall notification
Interval analysis (batch of individual)
Database management system
- Standards managed with out-of-tolerance escalation notification
Quality system
- All labs are currently working toward Z-540.3 compliance and are
  ISO 9001 certified.
In-place calibration
Delivery and scheduling services

Equipment

Multiple standard levels: Reference, working, & transfer standards
Wide range of equipment calibration including oscilloscopes, multimeters, power meters, attenuators, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, gage blocks, mass sets and balances, linear measuring equipment, temperature and humidity devices, gas and water flow meters, pressure transducers and pressure gauges, load cells, and torque wrenches

Scope

Force: 0 to 50,000 lbf
Pressure: 0.05 to 40,000 psi

Vacuum: Atmospheric to 10 torr

Torque: 3 oz-in. to 2,100 lb-ft
Flow
- Gas: 0.0008 to 200 scfm
- Liquid: 0.4 to 400
Temperature: 197 to +550 °C
Humidity: 20 to 90%
Length: 0.01 to 36 in.
Mass: 1 μg to 30 kg
Voltage, DC: 100 μV to 10 kV
Voltage, AC: 0.1 to 1,000 V at 5 to 50,000 Hz

Resistance: 10 mΩ to 1GΩ
Current, DC: 0 to 100 A
Current, AC: 0 to 20 A at 10 to
5,000 Hz
Frequency: 0.01 Hz to 26.5 GHz
Phase Modulation: 200 to 20,000 Hz at up to 26.5 GHz
Power: +30 to -120 dBm up to 26.5 GHz
Noise Figure: 0 to 30 dB up to 18 GHz
Automatic Network Analysis: 0.045 Hz to 18 GHz
Microwave Attenuation: 0 to 120 dB
Vibration: 0 Hz to 20 kHz
- Resonant search to 40 kHz

Experience

The Calibration Laboratory has experience supporting NASA, other government agencies, and private industry. Current customers include Goddard Space Flight Center, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army, and NASA Headquarters. Laboratory procedures meet MIL-STD-45662A requirements.