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SiC lightweight telescopes for advanced space applications. I - Mirror technologyA SiC based telescope is an extremely attractive emerging technology which offers the lightweight and stiffness features of beryllium, the optical performance of glass to diffraction limited visible resolution, superior optical/thermal stability to cryogenic temperatures, and the cost advantages of an aluminum telescope. SSG has developed various SiC mirrors with and without a silicon coating and tested these mirrors over temperature ranges from +50 C to -250 C. Our test results show less than 0.2 waves P-V in visible wavefront change and no hysteresis over this wide temperature range. Several SSG mirrors are representative of very lightweight SiC/Si mirrors including (1) a 9 cm diameter, high aspect ratio mirror weighing less than 30 grams and (2) a 23 cm diameter eggcrated mirror weighing less than 400 grams. SSG has also designed and analyzed a 0.6 meter SiC based, on axis, three mirror reimaging telescope in which the primary mirror weighs less than 6 kg and a 0.5 meter GOES-like scan mirror. SSG has also diamond turned several general aspheric SiC/Si mirrors with excellent cryo optical performance.
Document ID
19930045993
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Anapol, Michael I.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Hadfield, Peter
(SSG, Inc. Waltham, MA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1992
Publication Information
Publication: In: Surveillance technologies II; Proceedings of the Meeting, Orlando, FL, Apr. 21-23, 1992 (A93-29980 11-19)
Publisher: Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers
Subject Category
Spacecraft Instrumentation
Accession Number
93A29990
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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