Abstract
Future space telescopes require primary mirrors that are much lighter than those currently being manufactured. They also must maintain optical tolerances while operating at cryogenic temperatures. We present a Mirror System Demonstrator for the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) that uses a thin glass facesheet with active control to achieve low mass and high surface quality. A 2 mm thick glass facesheet is controlled by miniature actuators and held together by a rigid carbon fiber frame. The 2-m diameter mirror system weighs only 13 kg/m2, including the glass, supports, actuators, support structure, and cabling. We present the status of the development and testing of this revolutionary mirror.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 27-38 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering |
| Volume | 4451 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2001 |
| Event | Optical Manufacturing and Testing IV - San Diego, CA, United States Duration: Jul 31 2001 → Aug 2 2001 |
Keywords
- Gossamer optics
- Optical fabrication
- Space optics
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Computer Science Applications
- Applied Mathematics
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering