The general target engineering process for existing target designs is as follows:
Target Fabrication reviews physics requirements, design, and schedule
If the target design is identical to previously fabricated targets, the Shot RI (who is either the PI or the liaison scientist) completes the TRF (see Figure 7-1) on the NIF IT/PORT system with help from Target Fabrication. If there are any changes to the target design, it is considered a new target design and follows the process described in Section 7.1.1.1. Since experiments are scheduled on a rolling basis 6 to 12 months in the future, the TRF should be completed no later than 6 months before the scheduled shot date.
Target Request is accepted or rejected
Reasons for rejection/revision might include poor definition or too short of a lead time.
Target is fabricated and metrologized, RVP generated, and nonconformance issues resolved
If it is determined during target metrology that a target or target component does not meet specifications, the target will be evaluated by NIF’s MRB to determine if the target should still be shot, if the specification(s) was/were reasonable, and if the experiment can be performed as planned.
Target is shot
Shot RI review of the metrology data in the RVP needs to be done at least three weeks before the shot date to confirm that all aspects of the target are consistent with what is required to perform the shot.
