S S > PACEAND PACEAND A A > TMOSPHERIC TMOSPHERIC Exploration. Operation. Preservation. We are at a turning point in human history. As we embark on the new millennium, many nations have expressed a renewed vision for exploring our neighboring worlds and creating a permanent human presence beyond Earth.Commercial space interests are being driven by a new league of space entrepreneurs. The first private spaceshiphas made a historic flight to prove thatspace is no longer the dominion of governments. Space is being increasingly used as a platform from which to understand, protect and secure our homeplanet. Anew space renaissance is emerging.Optech is a high-tech renaissance companywith long-term vision and near-term solutions. Our space and atmospheric lidar systems offer key technological solutions that enable robots and humans to sense and visualize the world around them at the speed of light. The nature of the space business requiresthat our event horizons reflect the long-term thinking of our space agency customers as well as the commerciallydriven time scales of todays spaceentrepreneurs. Our 30 years of terrestrial lidar heritage has been combined with the world leading space expertise of MDRobotics to meet the challenges of the space frontier. The conquest of space and the understanding of our home planet willnever be complete as long as there is a spark of wonder and a desire to explore inthe human species. Optech plans to be thereevery step on every planet along the way.In addition to working closely with globalspace agencies, Optech has a strategic partnership with MD Robotics, manufacturer of the space shuttle Canadarmand International Space Station robotics,for the development of space lidar systems.Together, Optech and MD Robotics aredesigning and building the meteorological lidar system for the 2007 NASAPhoenixMars mission. The ғMET lidar willanalyze the location, structure, andoptical properties of clouds, fog, dustand plumes in the lower atmosphere. Strategic Relationships size="-3">

Advanced lidar systems for planetaryexploration and space operations include: > Optech and MD Robotics areinvolved in the development of a lidar-based spacecraft imaging and inspection system to increase safety in space. > Optech and MD Robotics created the Rendezvous Laser Vision System (RELAVIS) to support autonomous space operations. RELAVISprovides accuratedetection, tracking and pose estimation of spacecraft forrendezvous and dockingoperations, and satellite inspection and servicingoperations. > International initiativeshave renewed optimism forlunar exploration. Afundamental requirement...