Abstract

The new and powerful NASA Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) has entered the design and development stage and is currently scheduled for launch in the mid-1990s. AXAF will be 100 times more powerful in detecting x-rays, will double the spectral wavelength coverage, and provide ten times the resolution over its highly successful predecessor, the Einstein Observatory. To achieve these goals, AXAF will be equipped with a high resolution mirror assembly (HRMA) consisting of a nested set of six Wolter Type I, x-ray telescopes with outer diameters varying from 0.68m to 1.2m, and parfocalized at a common 10.0m focal length. The mirror mounting, assembly alignment, and orbital thermal stability requirements are nearly an order of magnitude more stringent than those of the HRMA developed for the Einstein Observatory. This paper summarizes the key design features and assembly alignment approach planned to meet these very stringent requirements.

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