The PLATO opto-mechanical unit prototyping and AIV phase

Jacopo Farinato; Valentina Viotto; Giorgia Gentile; Marco Dima; Demetrio Magrin; Daniele Piazza; Roberto Ragazzoni; Giampaolo Piotto; Isabella Pagano; Carmelo Arcidiacono; Stefano Basso; Willy Benz; Lisa Gambicorti; Mauro Ghigo; Matteo Munari; Emanuele Pace; Salvatore Scuderi; Claude Catala

doi:10.1117/12.856966

10 August 2010 The PLATO opto-mechanical unit prototyping and AIV phase

Jacopo Farinato, Valentina Viotto, Giorgia Gentile, Marco Dima, Demetrio Magrin, Daniele Piazza, Roberto Ragazzoni, Giampaolo Piotto, Isabella Pagano, Carmelo Arcidiacono, Stefano Basso, Willy Benz, Lisa Gambicorti, Mauro Ghigo, Matteo Munari, Emanuele Pace, Salvatore Scuderi, Claude Catala

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 7731, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2010: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave; 77314K (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.856966
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2010, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

PLATO is the acronym of PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars, and it is a mission proposed for the ESA Cosmic Vision program in the Medium size program, with the target to detect and characterize exoplanets by the means of their transit on a bright star. The instrumental overall layout proposed by the Plato Payload Consortium consists in a multitelescope concept instrument, composed by several tens of telescope units, for which we are developing an all refractive optical solution. These devices are characterized by a very large Field of View (more than 20 degrees on one side) with an optical quality that fits most of the energy into a single CCD pixel. Such a goal can be achieved in a variety of solutions, some including aspheric elements as well. A complete prototype of one telescope unit is foreseen to be built initially (during phase B1) to show the alignment feasibility and, only in a second moment (Phase B2), to perform full environmental and functional test. The aim of this article is to describe the alignment, integration and verification strategy of the opto-mechanics of the prototype. Both the approaches of testing the telescope at the target working temperature or to test it at ambient temperature around a displaced zero point, taking into account the effects of thermal deformations, are considered and briefly sketched in this work.

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Jacopo Farinato, Valentina Viotto, Giorgia Gentile, Marco Dima, Demetrio Magrin, Daniele Piazza, Roberto Ragazzoni, Giampaolo Piotto, Isabella Pagano, Carmelo Arcidiacono, Stefano Basso, Willy Benz, Lisa Gambicorti, Mauro Ghigo, Matteo Munari, Emanuele Pace, Salvatore Scuderi, and Claude Catala "The PLATO opto-mechanical unit prototyping and AIV phase", Proc. SPIE 7731, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2010: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, 77314K (10 August 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.856966

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