Related papers: Mirrors for space telescopes: degradation issues
First mirrors will be the plasma facing components of optical diagnostic systems in ITER. Mirror surfaces will undergo modification caused by erosion and re-deposition processes [1,2]. As a consequence, the mirror performance may be changed…
The latest high-performance telescopes for deep space observation employ very large primary mirrors that are made of smaller segments, like the JWST which employs monolithic beryllium hexagonal segments. A very promising development stage…
The historical development of ground based astronomical telescopes leads us to expect that space-based astronomical telescopes will need to be operational for many decades. The exchange of scientific instruments in space will be a…
Space debris is a major threat to the satellite infrastructure. A collision with even small particle, e.g. 1 cm of size, can cause a catastrophic event when the parent body, spacecraft or upper stage, will break up into hundreds of…
The need for both high quality images and lightweight structures is one of the main drivers in space telescope design. An efficient wavefront control system will become mandatory in future large observatories, retaining performance while…
The mirrors of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes are different from those of conventional astronomical telescopes in several ways, not least in that they are exposed to the elements. One of the issues which may arise is condensation…
We present the lessons learned about the degradation observed in several space solar missions, based on contributions at the Workshop about On-Orbit Degradation of Solar and Space Weather Instruments that took place at the Solar Terrestrial…
Protection of silver mirror stacks from environmental degradation before launching is crucial for space applications. Hereby, we report a comparative study of the advanced protection of silver mirror stacks for space telescopes provided by…
The advent of extremely large telescopes will bring unprecedented light-collecting power and spatial resolution, but it will also lead to a significant increase in the size and complexity of focal-plane instruments. The use of freeform…
Forty years ago, Apollo astronauts placed the first of several retroreflector arrays on the lunar surface. Their continued usefulness for laser-ranging might suggest that the lunar environment does not damage optical devices. However, new…
The absolute reflectance of a reflector and its point spread function are the key parameters of a telescope for measuring light flux. Typically, one is using low-cost technologies for producing mirrors for the needs of astro-particle…
The surface of a spinning liquid takes the shape of a paraboloid that can be used as a reflecting mirror. This very old and nearly forgotten concept has recently been revived and I review its present status. Extensive interferometric tests…
The spaceborne laser emission telescope is a core and critical component of the space gravitational wave detection system.Compared with ground-based telescopes, the on-orbit space environment is more complex and harsh, presenting higher…
Sensitivity and resolution of space telescopes are directly related to the size of the primary mirror. Enabling such future extremely large space telescopes or even arrays of those will require to drastically reduce the areal weight of the…
X-ray mirror fabrication for astronomy is challenging; this is due to the Wolter I optical geometry and the tight tolerances on roughness and form error to enable accurate and efficient X-ray reflection. The performance of an X-ray mirror,…
I argue that there is a crisis in optical Astronomy due to a paucity of telescopes and thus the need for a paradigm shift in telescope technology. Large increases in collecting areas and observing time/astronomer are only possible if we…
Liquid mirror telescopes are of interest to Astronomy because of their very low capital and operating costs. Low cost has a potentially revolutionary impact since it allows one to dedicate a large telescope to a narrowly focused project…
The performance of mirrors in optical interferometers is critically influenced by their surface quality. Accurate metrology enables mirror surfaces to be characterized through phase maps describing their three-dimensional structure after…
Next-generation large segmented mirror telescopes are expected to perform direct imaging and characterization of Earth-like rocky planets, which requires contrast limits of $10^{-7}$ to $10^{-8}$ at wavelengths from I to J band. One…
We analyze potential effects of an extraterrestrial civilization's use of orbiting mirrors to illuminate the dark side of a synchronously rotating planet on planetary transit light curves. Previous efforts to detect civilizations based on…