Performance characterization of a shape memory composite mirror

Varlese, S.; Ulmer, M. P.; Hermiller, Jason; Young, Kris; Graham, Michael E.; Vaynman, Semyon; Snyder, B.C

doi:10.1117/12.617929

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…The deployment of such a reflector would be mostly driven by the strain energy stored during folding. For a more controlled deployment, shape memory composite mirrors have been considered, in which deployment results from heating above a transition temperature (31) .…”

Section: Thin-shell Mirrorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optical space telescope structures: The state of the art and future directions

Santer¹,

Seffen²

2009

Aeronaut. j.

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which permits observation in the infrared (IR) range. However, they operate in an extremely hostile environment, and furthermore, they must be launched into space, which means they must be able to sustain additional vibrational, thermal, and acoustic loading, and which restricts the volume to that which may be enclosed within the fairing. In both ground-based and space-based cases, in order to achieve desired optical accuracy of the reflectors, extremely precise surface tolerances -potentially of the order of nanometers -are required.The design of telescopes links many fields including optics, control, structures, and it is clear that for a successful telescope to be realised its design must be carried out at a systems level, incorporating all the necessary disciplines. The purpose of this review is to focus on the role that the structures community can play in the design of telescopes by defining the state of the art from a structural perspective. By so doing, it is hoped that future research may be more effectively informed. Telescope components and definitionsIt is first necessary to consider a broader description of the components of a telescope in order to contextualise the structural aspects. Therefore, in this section a brief introduction to the generalised structure of reflecting and refracting telescopes is provided, and key terminology and definitions are introduced. ABSTRACTFuture space telescopes will be required to have significantly greater aperture and lower areal density than is currently achievable. Gossamer spacecraft structures have been proposed as a means of achieving this, but the technologies are far from mature. A state-ofthe-art review is timely and necessary as new structural paradigms are being considered for the next generation of space telescopes. There is, however, a knowledge gap between the structural engineering community and the additional fields involved in the complete telescope system, leading to the proposal of structures which are unlikely to be launched. It is hoped that, by providing a resource by which structural engineers are made aware of the wider issues in telescope design, this review will serve to overcome this knowledge gap to facilitate productive collaboration.

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Section: Thin-shell Mirrorsmentioning

confidence: 99%