The sensor was developed as part of NASA's "Return to Flight" effort following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster to provide 2-D and 3-D images of the thermal protection system on the Space Shuttle Orbiter.
Modulated laser illumination is demodulated by the receive optics, and the resulting video sequences can be processed to produce 3-d images.
During 2-dimensional imaging of the reinforced carbon-carbon panels on the leading edge of the shuttle's wings, the LDRI is capable of seeing damage as small as a 0.020 in (0.51 mm) crack.
[1] During the mission STS-114, the LDRI was used to obtain 3-D measurements of a loose gap filler on the underside of the orbiter.
On this mission, NASA TV broadcast live raw video from the LDRI of the entire wing leading edge and nosecap surveys on flight day 2.