Incorporation of molecular adsorbers into future Hubble Space Telescope instruments

Shaun R. Thomson; Patricia A. Hansen; Philip T. C. Chen; Jack J. Triolo; Nancy P. Carosso

doi:10.1117/12.258339

11 November 1996 Incorporation of molecular adsorbers into future Hubble Space Telescope instruments

Shaun R. Thomson, Patricia A. Hansen, Philip T. C. Chen, Jack J. Triolo, Nancy P. Carosso

Proceedings Volume 2864, Optical System Contamination V, and Stray Light and System Optimization; (1996) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.258339
Event: SPIE's 1996 International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1996, Denver, CO, United States

Abstract

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has been designed to accommodate changeout and/or repair of many of the primary instruments and subsystem components, in an effort to prolong the useful life of this orbiting observatory. In order to achieve the science goals established for this observatory, many HST instruments must operate in regimes that are greatly influenced by the presence of on-orbit propagated contaminants. To insure that the required performance of each instrument is not compromised due to these contaminant effects, great efforts have been made to minimize the level of on-orbit contamination. These efforts include careful material selection, performing extensive pre-flight vacuum bakeouts of parts and assemblies, assuring instrument assembly is carried out in strict cleanroom environments, performing precision cleaning of various parts, and most recently, the incorporation of a relatively new technology -- molecular adsorbers -- into the basic design of future replacement instruments. Molecular adsorbers were included as part of the wide field/planetary camera 2 (WFPC-2) instrument, which was integrated into the HST during the servicing mission 1 (SM1) in 1993. It is generally recognized that these adsorbers aided in the reductio of on-orbit contamination levels for the WFPC-2 instrument. This technology is now being implemented as part of the basic design for several new instruments being readied for the servicing mission 2 (SM2), scheduled for early 1997. An overview of the concept, design, applications, and to-date testing and predicted benefits associated with the molecular adsorbers within these new HST instruments are presented and discussed in this paper.

Citation Download Citation

Shaun R. Thomson, Patricia A. Hansen, Philip T. C. Chen, Jack J. Triolo, and Nancy P. Carosso "Incorporation of molecular adsorbers into future Hubble Space Telescope instruments", Proc. SPIE 2864, Optical System Contamination V, and Stray Light and System Optimization, (11 November 1996); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.258339

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