Abstract
In order to examine more distant astronomical objects, with higher resolution, future space telescopes require objectives with significantly larger aperture than presently available. NASA has identified a progression in size from the 2.4m aperture objective currently used in the HUBBLE space telescope[1,2], to 25m and greater in order to observe, e.g., extra-solar planets. Since weight is a crucial factor for any object sent into space, the relative weight of large optics over a given area must be reduced[3]. The areal mass density of the primary mirror for the Hubble space telescope is ~200 kg/m. This is expected to be reduced to around 15 kg/m for the successor to Hubble – the next generation space telescope (NGST)[4]. For future very large aperture telescopes needed for extra-solar planet detection, the areal mass density must be reduced even further. For example, the areal mass density goal for the Gossamer space telescopes is 10m size is also an enabling technology for many other applications such as Earth observation, power beaming, and optical communications.
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