A wide range of next generation spaceborne strategic and measurement/science applications require very lightweight, low cost, reflective telescopes with wide wavelength coverage, capable of near diffraction limited image quality over wide temperature ranges to cryogenic operation. A silicon carbide telescope is an extremely attractive technology which offers the lightweight and stiffness features of beryllium, the optical performance of glass to visible quality, superior optical/thermal stability to cryogenic temperatures and the low cost, fast fabrication processes of aluminum. This paper describes an ultralightweight (smaller 1.5 kg), 18 cm aperture, 4 mirror off axis re-imaging infrared SiC telescope assembly designed in a 'flight-worthy' configuration. The overall design approach is described including comparison of telescope structural analysis to vibration test data. The telescope optical performance has been measured from 300 K to less than 100 K, including repeated thermal cycles; the RMS wavefront change over this temperature range at 10.6 (to be continued) is smaller 0.02 waves with no observed hysteresis, which demonstrates SiC technology to satisfy near diffraction limited infrared capability at cryogenic temperatures.
Ultralightweight silicon carbide infrared cryogenic telescope
Ultraleichtgewichtiges Siliciumcarbid-Infrarot-Kryoteleskop
1995
10 Seiten, 11 Bilder, 3 Tabellen
Conference paper
English
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