NASA Langley Research Center, Composite Optics, Inc., and Nyma/ADF have developed jointly a deployable primary mirror for space telescopes that combines over five years of research on deployment of optical-precision structures and over ten years of development of fabrication techniques for optical-precision composite mirror panels and structures. The deployable mirror is directly applicable to a broad class of non-imaging 'lidar' (light direction and ranging) telescopes whose figure-error requirements are in the range of one to ten microns RMS. Furthermore, the mirror design can be readily modified to accommodate imaging-quality reflector panels and active panel-alignment control mechanisms for application to imaging telescopes. The present paper: (1) describes the deployable mirror concept; (2) explains the status of the mirror development; and (3) provides some technical specifications for a 2.55-m-diameter, proof-of-concept mirror.


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    Title :

    Deployable Primary Mirror for Space Telescopes


    Contributors:
    M. S. Lake (author) / J. E. Phelps (author) / J. E. Dyer (author) / D. A. Caudle (author) / A. Tam (author)

    Publication date :

    1999


    Size :

    17 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English




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