Self-Aware Telescope: FY19 Optical Systems Technology Line-Supported Program

Abstract

Large-aperture surveillance systems have used stiff, heavy structures to minimize potential distortions while on station. One then has to tolerate any residual errors. The Self-Aware Telescope approach is to develop metrology techniques to allow lightweight systems without compromising performance by monitoring changes in the primary mirror figure with strain gauges and automatically correcting those changes without the need of a separate wavefront sensor. The metering structure and petal structure utilizes sensors and actuators to maintain overall alignment of the system. Diffractive optical elements monitor the high spatial frequency errors that deformable mirrors can correct in the optical imaging package.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 17, 2019
Accession Number
AD1098450

Entities

People

  • M. A. Echter
  • M. J. Silver
  • P. D. Chapnik
  • S. K. Jeon
  • S. R. Trotz
  • T. R. Price

Organizations

  • MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Sensors
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Deformable Mirrors
  • Detectors
  • Distortion
  • Fibers
  • Gages
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Mechanical Properties
  • Metrology
  • Mirrors
  • Residuals
  • Shape
  • Silicon Carbide
  • Standards
  • Strain Gages
  • Telescopes
  • Wavefronts

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Distributed Systems and Data Platform Development
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.
  • Robotics and Automation.

Technology Areas

  • Space