Aculight Corp. of Bothell, Wash., has received a $70,000 Phase I Small Business Innovation Research contract from NASA to develop a rugged, compact and efficient UV fiber laser system for UV-Raman spectrometers. Based on Aculight's pulsed fiber laser technology, the system is expected to produce frequency-quadrupled UV light at 245 nm.NASA will use the spectrometers for space research applications, such as detecting potential signs of life in other parts of the solar system. It is anticipated that the source also could be incorporated into spectrometers for applications in medical imaging, national security and industrial sensing.