Abstract
Very lightweight mirrors can be constructed by stretching a membrane to form a flat surface. Adding tension to the membrane, making it flat, can be done by discrete attachment points, or by using a continuous boundary. Such lightweight mirrors are very attractive for space telescopes where a 100m aperture can be made up of smaller mirror segments. Adding a slight curvature to each segments simplifies the optical train. This article looks at the making of a curved membrane mirror, and demonstrates its use. Measurements of the flat membrane, and the curved figure will be shown.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 105-113 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| 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
- Membrane mirrors
- SMEC
- Space telescopes
- Ultra-lightweight primary mirrors
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Instrumentation
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Computer Science Applications
- Applied Mathematics
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
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