Design of a manufacturing facility for 8- to 10-m class mirrors

Michael H. Krim

doi:10.1117/12.19245

1 July 1990 Design of a manufacturing facility for 8- to 10-m class mirrors

Michael H. Krim

Proceedings Volume 1236, Advanced Technology Optical Telescopes IV; (1990) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.19245
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation for the 21st Century, 1990, Tucson, AZ, United States

Abstract

There is considerable interest and excitement in the astronomical community about the near-term realization of 8 to 10 meter class telescopes. In this paper we will describe the design of a polishing shop uniquely configured to acconmiodate these mirrors. Simply stated, these mirrors are very large, very heavy, and very flexible compared to existing telescope designs. Large implies long path length metrology and the control of vibration as well as the need for vacuum to eliminate air turbulence. It also implies a significant investment of time and money and therefore, safety is a paramount design parameter. Heavy introduces in-process handling concerns, an always present safety issue. Flexibility, whether a thin solid or structured approach is employed for the mirror blank, requires that some form of active shape control be employed to maintain figure in the presence of gravity. This can be exploited to relax the figure requirements in the long spatial period regime which has significant implications on the type of machinery that will be needed to figure and polish the optic. We will describe in this paper how the facility design addresses these issues.

Citation Download Citation

Michael H. Krim "Design of a manufacturing facility for 8- to 10-m class mirrors", Proc. SPIE 1236, Advanced Technology Optical Telescopes IV, (1 July 1990); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.19245

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available