Results for “primary mirror” — Page 5

NASA NTRS2000

Status on NGST Mirror Technology

The NGST primary mirror is anticipated to be a segmented deployable optic with segment size being in the range of 1 - 3 m depending on the details of the architecture. The secondary mirror will likely be a monolith similar in size to one of the primary mirror segments. Over the past 4 years the NGST program has initiated and implemented an aggressive lightweight cryogenic mirror technology program. The program was designed to challenge and excite the optical community in reaching a new standard in production of lightweight optics. The goal was to develop optics at less than 15 kg/sq m, operational at approx. 40 K and meeting the overall NGST observatory requirement for diffraction limited performance at 2 microns. In order to meet the NGST needs, technology efforts were initiated to investigate and develop mirrors in a variety of materials, which held promise for the program. The basic technology approaches have initially targeted the production of large mirrors in the 1.2 - 2.0 m diameter range (or side-to-side distance in the case of hexagonal optics). Although this size may not be the final size of an NGST primary mirror segment, it was felt that a 1.2 - 2.0 m optic would be of sufficient size to understand the mirror material and fabrication processes which drive the cost and schedule of mirror production. The ultimate goals of the technology program are both to demonstrate mirrors meeting, the NGST performance requirements, and to establish cost and schedule credibility for producing and implementing the mirrors for the NGST flight system. Establishing cost and schedule credibility is essential to NGST which is a cost capped mission, with past program experience demonstrating that the optics will be a large portion of the total cost of the program. The first two years of the program were dedicated to understanding; the various applicable materials, funding those materials to various levels of maturity and implementing the first large mirror procurement, the NGST Mirror System Demonstrator (NMSD), in order to establish a benchmark for the state-of-the-art in lightweight optics and to establish credibility that the goals of NGST could be achieved. The past two years of the program has seen major steps in the development of several mirror materials, which not only might have NGST applicability but could also support other programs for other customers. Additionally, a second large mirror procurement, the Advanced Mirror System Demonstrator (AMSD), has been implemented providing a focal point to complete the mirror technology development and lead ultimately to the production of mirrors that will fly on NEXUS (the NGST flight experiment- discussed below) and NGST. This talk will focus on the mirror technology developed over the past 4 years on the NGST program.

Jacobson, David↗

NASA NTRS1990

The Hubble Space Telescope optical systems failure report

The findings of the Hubble Space Telescope Optical Systems Board of Investigation are reported. The Board was formed to determine the cause of the flaw in the telescope, how it occurred, and why it was not detected before launch. The Board conducted its investigation to include interviews with personnel involved in the fabrication and test of the telescope, review of documentation, and analysis and test of the equipment used in the fabrication of the telescope's mirrors. The investigation proved that the primary mirror was made in the wrong shape (a 0.4-wave rms wavefront error at 632.8 nm). The primary mirror was manufactured by the Perkin-Elmer Corporation (Hughes Danbury Optical Systems, Inc.). The critical optics used as a template in shaping the mirror, the reflective null corrector (RNC), consisted of two small mirrors and a lens. This unit had been preserved by the manufacturer exactly as it was during the manufacture of the mirror. When the Board measured the RNC, the lens was incorrectly spaced from the mirrors. Calculations of the effect of such displacement on the primary mirror show that the measured amount, 1.3 mm, accounts in detail for the amount and character of the observed image blurring. No verification of the reflective null corrector's dimensions was carried out by Perkin-Elmer after the original assembly. There were, however, clear indications of the problem from auxiliary optical tests made at the time. A special optical unit called an inverse null corrector, designed to mimic the reflection from a perfect primary mirror, was built and used to align the apparatus; when so used, it clearly showed the error in the reflective null corrector. A second null corrector was used to measure the vertex radius of the finished primary mirror. It, too, clearly showed the error in the primary mirror. Both indicators of error were discounted at the time as being themselves flawed. The Perkin-Elmer plan for fabricating the primary mirror placed complete reliance on the reflective null corrector as the only test to be used in both manufacturing and verifying the mirror's surface with the required precision. This methodology should have alerted NASA management to the fragility of the process and the possibility of gross error. Such errors had been seen in other telescope programs, yet no independent tests were planned, although some simple tests to protect against major error were considered and rejected. During the critical time period, there was great concern about cost and schedule, which further inhibited consideration of independent tests.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2014

New Method for Characterizing the State of Optical and Opto-Mechanical Systems

James Webb Space Telescope Optical Telescope Element (OTE) is a three mirror anastigmat consisting of a 6.5 m primary mirror (PM), secondary mirror (SM) and a tertiary mirror. The primary mirror is made out of 18 segments. The telescope and instruments will be assembled at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) to make it the Optical Telescope Element-Integrated Science Instrument Module (OTIS). The OTIS will go through environmental testing at GSFC before being transported to Johnson Space Center for testing at cryogenic temperature. The objective of the primary mirror Center of Curvature test (CoC) is to characterize the PM before and after the environmental testing for workmanship. This paper discusses the CoC test including both a surface figure test and a new method for characterizing the state of the primary mirror using high speed dynamics interferometry.

Optical Testing↗

NASA NTRS1986

Multispectral glancing incidence X-ray telescope

A multispectural glancing incidence X-ray telescope is illustrated capable of broadband, high-resolution imaging of solar and stellar X-ray and extreme ultraviolet radiation sources which includes a primary optical system preferably of the Wolter I type having a primary mirror system. The primary optical system further includes an optical axis having a primary focus at which the incoming radiation is focused by the primary mirrors. A plurality of ellipsoidal mirrors are carried at an inclination to the optical axis behind the primary focus. A rotating carrier is provided on which the ellipsoidal mirrors are carried so that a desired one of the ellipsoidal mirrors may be selectively positioned in front of the incoming radiation beam. In the preferred embodiment, each of the ellipsoidal mirrors has an identical concave surface carrying a layered synthetic microstructure coating tailored to reflect a desired wavelength of 1.5A or longer. Each of the identifical ellipsoidal mirrors has a second focus at which a detector is carried. Thus the different wavelength image is focused upon the detector irregardless of which mirror is positioned in front of the radiation beam.

Hoover, R. B.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Towards a Multi-Variable Parametric Cost Model for Ground and Space Telescopes

Parametric cost models can be used by designers and project managers to perform relative cost comparisons between major architectural cost drivers and allow high-level design trades; enable cost-benefit analysis for technology development investment; and, provide a basis for estimating total project cost between related concepts. This paper hypothesizes a single model, based on published models and engineering intuition, for both ground and space telescopes: OTA Cost approximately (X) D(exp (1.75 +/- 0.05)) lambda(exp(-0.5 +/- 0.25) T(exp -0.25) e (exp (-0.04)Y). Specific findings include: space telescopes cost 50X to 100X more ground telescopes; diameter is the most important CER; cost is reduced by approximately 50% every 20 years (presumably because of technology advance and process improvements); and, for space telescopes, cost associated with wavelength performance is balanced by cost associated with operating temperature. Finally, duplication only reduces cost for the manufacture of identical systems (i.e. multiple aperture sparse arrays or interferometers). And, while duplication does reduce the cost of manufacturing the mirrors of segmented primary mirror, this cost savings does not appear to manifest itself in the final primary mirror assembly (presumably because the structure for a segmented mirror is more complicated than for a monolithic mirror).

Space Mirror Technology↗

NASA NTRS2012

Wavefront Compensation Segmented Mirror Sensing and Control

The primary mirror of very large submillimeter-wave telescopes will necessarily be segmented into many separate mirror panels. These panels must be continuously co-phased to keep the telescope wavefront error less than a small fraction of a wavelength, to ten microns RMS (root mean square) or less. This performance must be maintained continuously across the full aperture of the telescope, in all pointing conditions, and in a variable thermal environment. A wavefront compensation segmented mirror sensing and control system, consisting of optical edge sensors, Wavefront Compensation Estimator/Controller Soft ware, and segment position actuators is proposed. Optical edge sensors are placed two per each segment-to-segment edge to continuously measure changes in segment state. Segment position actuators (three per segment) are used to move the panels. A computer control system uses the edge sensor measurements to estimate the state of all of the segments and to predict the wavefront error; segment actuator commands are computed that minimize the wavefront error. Translational or rotational motions of one segment relative to the other cause lateral displacement of the light beam, which is measured by the imaging sensor. For high accuracy, the collimator uses a shaped mask, such as one or more slits, so that the light beam forms a pattern on the sensor that permits sensing accuracy of better than 0.1 micron in two axes: in the z or local surface normal direction, and in the y direction parallel to the mirror surface and perpendicular to the beam direction. Using a co-aligned pair of sensors, with the location of the detector and collimated light source interchanged, four degrees of freedom can be sensed: transverse x and y displacements, as well as two bending angles (pitch and yaw). In this approach, each optical edge sensor head has a collimator and an imager, placing one sensor head on each side of a segment gap, with two parallel light beams crossing the gap. Two sets of optical edge sensors are used per segment-to-segment edge, separated by a finite distance along the segment edge, for four optical heads, each with an imager and a collimator. By orienting the beam direction of one edge sensor pair to be +45 away from the segment edge direction, and the other sensor pair to be oriented -45 away from the segment edge direction, all six degrees of freedom of relative motion between the segments can be measured with some redundancy. The software resides in a computer that receives each of the optical edge sensor signals, as well as telescope pointing commands. It feeds back the edge sensor signals to keep the primary mirror figure within specification. It uses a feed-forward control to compensate for global effects such as decollimation of the primary and secondary mirrors due to gravity sag as the telescope pointing changes to track science objects. Three segment position actuators will be provided per segment to enable controlled motions in the piston, tip, and tilt degrees of freedom. These actuators are driven by the software, providing the optical changes needed to keep the telescope phased.

Redding, David C.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Alignment Test Results of the JWST Pathfinder Telescope Mirrors in the Cryogenic Environment

After integration of the Optical Telescope Element (OTE) to the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) to become the OTIS, the James Webb Space Telescope OTIS is tested at NASAs Johnson Space Center (JSC) in the cryogenic vacuum Chamber A for alignment and optical performance. The alignment of the mirrors comprises a sequence of steps as follows: The mirrors are coarsely aligned using photogrammetry cameras with reflective targets attached to the sides of the mirrors. Then a multi-wavelength interferometer is aligned to the 18-segment primary mirror using cameras at the center of curvature to align reflected light from the segments and using fiducials at the edge of the primary mirror. Once the interferometer is aligned, the 18 primary mirror segments are then adjusted to optimize wavefront error of the aggregate mirror. This process phases the piston and tilt positions of all the mirror segments. An optical fiber placed at the Cassegrain focus of the telescope then emits light towards the secondary mirror to create a collimated beam emitting from the primary mirror. Portions of the collimated beam are retro-reflected from flat mirrors at the top of the chamber to pass through the telescope to the SI detector. The image on the detector is used for fine alignment of the secondary mirror and a check of the primary mirror alignment using many of the same analysis techniques used in the on-orbit alignment. The entire process was practiced and evaluated in 2015 at cryogenic temperature with the Pathfinder telescope.

Interferometer↗

NASA NTRS2016

Alignment Test Results of the JWST Pathfinder Telescope Mirrors in the Cryogenic Environment

After integration of the Optical Telescope Element (OTE) to the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) to become the OTIS, the James Webb Space Telescope OTIS is tested at NASAs Johnson Space Center (JSC) in the cryogenic vacuum Chamber A for alignment and optical performance. The alignment of the mirrors comprises a sequence of steps as follows: The mirrors are coarsely aligned using photogrammetry cameras with reflective targets attached to the sides of the mirrors. Then a multi-wavelength interferometer is aligned to the 18-segment primary mirror using cameras at the center of curvature to align reflected light from the segments and using fiducials at the edge of the primary mirror. Once the interferometer is aligned, the 18 primary mirror segments are then adjusted to optimize wavefront error of the aggregate mirror. This process phases the piston and tilt positions of all the mirror segments. An optical fiber placed at the Cassegrain focus of the telescope then emits light towards the secondary mirror to create a collimated beam emitting from the primary mirror. Portions of the collimated beam are retro-reflected from flat mirrors at the top of the chamber to pass through the telescope to the SI detector. The image on the detector is used for fine alignment of the secondary mirror and a check of the primary mirror alignment using many of the same analysis techniques used in the on-orbit alignment. The entire process was practiced and evaluated in 2015 at cryogenic temperature with the Pathfinder telescope.

OTIS↗

NASA NTRS2007

High-Resolution, Wide-Field-of-View Scanning Telescope

A proposed telescope would afford high resolution over a narrow field of view (<0.10 ) while scanning over a total field of view nominally 16 wide without need to slew the entire massive telescope structure. The telescope design enables resolution of a 1-m-wide object in a 50- km-wide area of the surface of the Earth as part of a 200-km-wide area field of view monitored from an orbit at an altitude of 700 km. The conceptual design of this telescope could also be adapted to other applications both terrestrial and extraterrestrial in which there are requirements for telescopes that afford both wide- and narrow-field capabilities. In the proposed telescope, the scanning would be effected according to a principle similar to that of the Arecibo radio telescope, in which the primary mirror is stationary with respect to the ground and a receiver is moved across the focal surface of the primary mirror. The proposed telescope would comprise (1) a large spherical primary mirror that would afford high resolution over a narrow field of view and (2) a small displaceable optical relay segment that would be pivoted about the center of an aperture stop to effect the required scanning (see figure). Taken together, both comprise a scanning narrow-angle telescope that does not require slewing the telescope structure. In normal operation, the massive telescope structure would stare at a fixed location on the ground. The inner moveable relay optic would be pivoted to scan the narrower field of view over the wider one, making it possible to retain a fixed telescope orientation, while obtaining high-resolution images over multiple target areas during an interval of 3 to 4 minutes in the intended orbit. The pivoting relay segment of the narrow-angle telescope would include refractive and reflective optical elements, including two aspherical mirrors, to counteract the spherical aberration of the primary mirror. Overall, the combination of the primary mirror and the smaller relay optic would provide narrow-angle, diffraction-limited high resolution at a wavelength of 500 nm.

Sepulveda, Cesar↗

NASA NTRS2008

Design Study of an 8 Meter Monolithic Mirror UV/Optical Space Telescope

This paper will review a recent NASA MSFC preliminary study that demonstrated the feasibility of launching a 6 to 8 meter class monolithic primary mirror telescope to Sun-Earth L2 using an Ares V. The study started with the unique capabilities of the Ares V vehicle and examined the feasibility of launching a large aperture low cost low risk telescope based on a conventional ground based glass primary mirror. Specific technical areas studied included optical design; structural design/analysis including primary mirror support structure, sun shade and secondary mirror support structure; thermal analysis; launch vehicle performance and trajectory; spacecraft including structure, propulsion, GN & C, avionics, power systems and reaction wheels; operations & servicing, mass budget and system cost. The study telescope was an on-axis three-mirror anastigmatic design with a fine steering mirror. The observatory has a 100 arc-minute (8.4 X 12 arc-minutes) of diffraction limited field of view at a wavelength les than 500 nm. The study assumed that the primary mirror would be fabricated from an existing Schott Zerodur residual VLT blank edged to 6.2 meters, 175 mm thick at the edge with a mass of 11,000 kg. The entire mass budget for the observatory including primary mirror, structure, light baffle tube, instruments, space craft, avionics, etc. is less than 40,000 kg - a 33% mass margin on the Ares V's 60,000 kg Sun-Earth L2 capability. An 8 meter class observatory would have a total mass of less than 60,000 kg of which the primary mirror is the largest contributor.

Stahl, H. Philip↗

NASA NTRS1989

Error-Compensated Telescope

Proposed reflecting telescope includes large, low-precision primary mirror stage and small, precise correcting mirror. Correcting mirror machined under computer control to compensate for error in primary mirror. Correcting mirror machined by diamond cutting tool. Computer analyzes interferometric measurements of primary mirror to determine shape of surface of correcting mirror needed to compensate for errors in wave front reflected from primary mirror and commands position and movement of cutting tool accordingly.

Meinel, Aden B.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Hubble Space Telescope particulate optical test

The Particulate Optical Test was designed to record and measure particulate contaminants on the Hubble Space Telescope primary mirror. The objective of the test was to quantify the primary mirror particulate contamination prior to launch. The test consists of taking dark-field photographs of the primary mirror from in front of the telescope's aperture door. These photographs are subsequently digitized and analyzed to produce the areal coverage estimates. The estimated particulate areal obscuration is approximately 1.0 percent of the primary mirror surface in the usable region. This level of contamination is within the budget value of 2.5 percent and indicates that there was little increase in particulate contamination during the HST assembly process or the acoustic test period.

Metheny, Wayne↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Completion of a Geosynchronous Earth Orbit Survey with the Eugene Stansbery-Meter Class Autonomous Telescope

The Eugene Stansbery-Meter Class Autonomous Telescope (ES-MCAT) is the primary optical sensor used by the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) to statistically characterize the geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) debris environment and support future Orbital Debris Engineering Model (ORDEM) releases. The ES-MCAT completed its first optical survey of the GEO region from 2020 to 2022. The primary goal of this survey was to autonomously collect and process GEO data with calculated photometric and astrometric uncertainties. A pointing plan was developed to provide uniform sampling within the region of interest (ROI) while accounting for predicted downtime due to insufficient observing conditions. Detections are autonomously correlated to the Space Surveillance Network (SSN) catalog to determine if objects are correlated targets (CTs) or uncorrelated targets (UCTs), the latter of which are of interest for modeling the GEO orbital debris environment. To assess the size detection sensitivity over time and monitor the general performance of the telescope’s optics and software, the optical throughput of the system and limiting magnitudes are evaluated on a routine basis. While the telescope’s ability to operate autonomously and remotely allowed for the GEO survey to continue throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, travel restrictions hampered routine cleaning of the optics during this time, and the primary mirror degraded enough to require recoating. The mirror was removed in 2022, concluding the first GEO survey. The primary mirror received a new coating designed to be more robust against the harsh environment surrounding the ES-MCAT’s location on Ascension Island, accounting for experience gained during operations over the first GEO survey. In early 2023, the recoated primary mirror was reinstalled, and the second GEO survey was initiated. The primary goal of the second GEO survey is to characterize the evolving GEO debris environment with updated optics, software, and pointing strategies while allowing for the inclusion of non-GEO regimes or those that are outside of the ROI. While the pointing method implemented in the first survey allowed for adequate coverage of the ROI over two years, it has been improved to include pointings that avoid the Moon’s position and the galactic plane to reduce software processing time and maximize the detection capabilities of fainter objects. This method also accounts for the changing weather patterns throughout the year and reduces coverage gaps in the ROI. Provided the success of the first two-year GEO survey using autonomous operations, the ODPO is actively collaborating with the United States Space Force (USSF) to make the ES-MCAT a contributing sensor to the SSN. This paper presents results from the first GEO survey including magnitude distributions and orbital parameters for CTs and UCTs. Details are provided for the automated processing pipeline and the optical system throughput for the previous and current primary mirror coatings. In addition, an updated strategy for the second GEO survey to optimize coverage over the ROI is discussed, as are preliminary results from the ongoing second survey.

Corbin Cruz↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Completion of a Geosynchronous Earth Orbit Survey with the Eugene Stansbery-Meter Class Autonomous Telescope

The Eugene Stansbery-Meter Class Autonomous Telescope (ES-MCAT) is the primary optical sensor used by the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) to statistically characterize the geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) debris environment and support future Orbital Debris Engineering Model (ORDEM) releases. The ES-MCAT completed its first optical survey of the GEO region from 2020 to 2022. The primary goal of this survey was to autonomously collect and process GEO data with calculated photometric and astrometric uncertainties. A pointing plan was developed to provide uniform sampling within the region of interest (ROI) while accounting for predicted downtime due to insufficient observing conditions. Detections are autonomously correlated to the Space Surveillance Network (SSN) catalog to determine if objects are correlated targets (CTs) or uncorrelated targets (UCTs), the latter of which are of interest for modeling the GEO orbital debris environment. To assess the size detection sensitivity over time and monitor the general performance of the telescope’s optics and software, the optical throughput of the system and limiting magnitudes are evaluated on a routine basis. While the telescope’s ability to operate autonomously and remotely allowed for the GEO survey to continue throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, travel restrictions hampered routine cleaning of the optics during this time, and the primary mirror degraded enough to require recoating. The mirror was removed in 2022, concluding the first GEO survey. The primary mirror received a new coating designed to be more robust against the harsh environment surrounding the ES-MCAT’s location on Ascension Island, accounting for experience gained during operations over the first GEO survey. In early 2023, the recoated primary mirror was reinstalled, and the second GEO survey was initiated. The primary goal of the second GEO survey is to characterize the evolving GEO debris environment with updated optics, software, and pointing strategies while allowing for the inclusion of non-GEO regimes or those that are outside of the ROI. While the pointing method implemented in the first survey allowed for adequate coverage of the ROI over two years, it has been improved to include pointings that avoid the Moon’s position and the galactic plane to reduce software processing time and maximize the detection capabilities of fainter objects. This method also accounts for the changing weather patterns throughout the year and reduces coverage gaps in the ROI. Provided the success of the first two-year GEO survey using autonomous operations, the ODPO is actively collaborating with the United States Space Force (USSF) to make the ES-MCAT a contributing sensor to the SSN. This paper presents results from the first GEO survey including magnitude distributions and orbital parameters for CTs and UCTs. Details are provided for the automated processing pipeline and the optical system throughput for the previous and current primary mirror coatings. In addition, an updated strategy for the second GEO survey to optimize coverage over the ROI is discussed, as are preliminary results from the ongoing second survey.

Corbin Cruz↗

NASA NTRS2007

JWST Lightweight Mirror TRL-6 Results

Mirror technology for a Primary Mirror Segment Assembly (PMSA) is a system of components: reflective coating; polished optical surface; mirror substrate; actuators, mechanisms and flexures; and reaction structure. The functional purpose of a PMSA is to survive launch, deploy and align itself to form a 25 square meter collecting area 6.5 meter diameter primary mirror with a 131 nm rms wavefront error at temperatures less than 50K and provide stable optical performance for the anticipated thermal environment. At the inception of JWST in 1996, such a capability was at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 3. A highly successful technology development program was initiated including the Sub-scale Beryllium Mirror Demonstrator (SBMD) and Advanced Mirror System Demonstrator (AMSD) projects. These projects along with flight program activities have matured mirror technology for JWST to TRL-6. A directly traceable prototype (and in some cases the flight hardware itself) has been built, tested and operated in a relevant environment.

Stahl, H. Philip↗

NASA NTRS1997

High Resolution X-Ray Explorer (HIREX)

SAO is involved in a study to determine the feasibility of building an orbiting telescope capable of resolving 7 km structure on the Sun. In order to achieve the required imaging the telescope must have a resolution 0.01 arcsec. This fact challenges the state of the art of orbiting telescopes in several areas: Mirror Figuring; Optical Metrology; Optical Mounting; Mirror Figure Control; System Alignment; Optical Stability; Observatory Pointing; and Image Stability. The telescope design concept is based on a 0.6 m Gregorian-style telescope with a 240 meter effective focal length. This is achieved with 2 mirrors supported at opposite ends of a 35 m space-deployable boom. The telescope mirrors are coated with multilayers designed to reflect a broad XUV passband. A third, small mirror, near the focal plane performs the function of selecting the narrow band that is finally imaged. Image stabilization to the 0.005 arcsec level is achieved by active control of the secondary mirror. The primary mirror is held unadjustably to the spacecraft, its pointing set by the spacecraft orientation. The secondary mirror is mounted on a 6-axis stage that permits its position to be changed to align the telescope in space. The stage is intended for intermittent adjustment, both because of its speed of travel, and the TBD alignment procedure. The third mirror is called the TXI (Tuneable X-ray Imager). It is mounted on a gimbal that permits it to be tipped over a 60 degree range, selecting between the individual wavelengths in the initial bandpass. It can also rotated completely out of the way to allow the full, broadband EUV flux to strike the focal plane. Finally, the focal plane assembly is designed to rotate on the outer edge of a circle centered on the TXI mirror rotation axis. This permits the focal plane to move to the location that the TXI redirects the light once it has been set to a given wavelength response. The Engineering Study is divided into the following areas: Mirror Fabrication and Metrology; Optical Layout-Trade Study between On-axis and Off-axis; Overall System Design; and Pointing Control/Image Stabilization. The observational goals of the mission are described in the Mission Requirements document. The work is being performed to the requirements called out in the Science Requirements document.

Goulb, Leon↗

NASA NTRS1999

High Resolution X-Ray Explorer (HIREX)

SAO has carried out a study to determine the feasibility of building an orbiting telescope capable of resolving 7 km structure on the Sun. In order to achieve the required imaging the telescope must have a resolution 0.01 arcsec. This fact challenges the state of the art of orbiting telescopes in several areas: mirror figuring; optical metrology; optical mounting; mirror figure control; system alignment; optical stability; observatory pointing; and image stability image stability. The telescope design concept is based on a 0.6m Cassegrain-style telescope with a 240 meter effective focal length. This is achieved with 2 mirrors supported at opposite ends of a 27 m space-deployable boom. The telescope mirrors are coated with multilayers designed to reflect a broad XUV passband. A third, small mirror, near the focal plane performs the function of selecting the narrow band that is finally imaged. Image stabilization to the 0.005 a,rcsec level is achieved by active control of the secondary mirror. The primary mirror is held unadjustably to the spacecraft, its pointing set by the space- craft orientation. The secondary mirror is mounted on a 6-axis stage that permits its position to be changed to align the telescope in space. The stage is intended for intermittent adjustment, both because of its speed of travel, and the TBD alignment procedure. The third mirror is called the TXI (Tuneable X-ray Imager). It is mounted on a gimbal that permits it to be tipped over a 60 degree range, selecting between the individual wavelengths in the initial bandpass. It can also rotated completely out of the way to allow the full, broadband EUV flux to strike the focal plane.

Golub, Leon↗

NASA NTRS2001

Degradation of MODIS Optics and its Reflective Solar Bands Calibration

The MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) has 36 spectral bands with wavelength ranging from 0.41 micron to 14.5 micron and spatial resolution between 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 km at Nadir. Its ProtoFlight Model (PFM) on the NASA EOS Terra spacecraft has been providing global coverage of the Land, Ocean, and Atmosphere for the science community since the instrument opened its Nadir door on 24 February 2000. The MODIS optical system consists of a 2-sided paddle wheel scan mirror, a fold mirror, a primary mirror, and other aft optics. The sensor's 20 reflective solar bands from 0.41 to 2.1 micron are calibrated on-orbit by a solar diffuser (SD) and a solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM). In addition to SD, degradation of the MODIS optics in the reflective solar bands has been observed, including variations in degradation between the two sides of the MODIS scan mirror. During MODIS first year of on-orbit operation, the overall degradations at the shortest wavelength (0.41 micron) are about 3% for SD, and in excess of 10% for the MODIS system. In this paper, we will present our degradation analysis results and discuss their impact on the reflective solar bands' on-orbit calibration.

Xiong, X.↗