Architectural considerations for the Habitable Worlds Observatory

Abstract

The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) will need unprecedented stability in order to achieve the desired science performance. Achieving this stability will push the state of the art in structural damping, environmental shielding, thermal sensing and heater control, control architecture, etc. and will even involve consideration of effects that were previously negligible such as low-energy micrometeorites and bulk charging of mirrors.In this paper, we explore the interactions between basic architectural trades and the ability of the observatory to meet the stability requirements. As an example, we discuss how the need for an ultra-stable structure translates to requirements on an environmental shield. We then look at options for the architecture of such a shield and interactions between these possible shield configurations and other design considerations such as verifiability, manufacturability, mass, risk, serviceability, and lifetime.