U.S. Air Force Academy 4-m telescope

Geoff P. Andersen; Derek Buzasi

doi:10.1117/12.549998

28 September 2004 U.S. Air Force Academy 4-m telescope

Geoff P. Andersen, Derek Buzasi

Proceedings Volume 5489, Ground-based Telescopes; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.549998
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2004, Glasgow, United Kingdom

Abstract

The United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs has obtained a 4m-diameter, lightweight telescope from the Space Based Laser project. Originally designed and constructed for space, this segmented telescope is being reconfigured for use as a ground-based facility - the largest in the world, wholly owned by any single college. The telescope comes fully equipped with both active and adaptive capabilities for segment phasing and wavefront correction. However, the optical design is a Mersenne configuration, and having been constructed for a space environment, it has an extremely thin (17mm) glass primary. We are redesigning the optics (with new secondary and tertiary mirrors) and are designing a mount and truss capable of both sidereal and low-Earth satellite tracking.

Citation Download Citation

Geoff P. Andersen and Derek Buzasi "U.S. Air Force Academy 4-m telescope", Proc. SPIE 5489, Ground-based Telescopes, (28 September 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.549998

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