Use of glass ceramic as a structural material for a high-precision space telescope

Hans Joachim Juranek; G. Kleer; W. Doell

doi:10.1117/12.188101

30 September 1994 Use of glass ceramic as a structural material for a high-precision space telescope

Hans Joachim Juranek, G. Kleer, W. Doell

Proceedings Volume 2210, Space Optics 1994: Space Instrumentation and Spacecraft Optics; (1994) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.188101
Event: Space Optics '94, 1994, Garmisch, Germany

Abstract

SILEX is the acronym for Satellite InterLink EXperiment. By this experiment ESA (European Space Agency) starts the optical communication technique in space. Similar to the usual RF-communication technique the optical technique requires antennas for transmitting and receiving signals. Such antennas are telescopes. For Silex a two mirror telescope of an aperture of 250 mm was specified. To gain the benefits of optical communication such a telescope must fulfil extreme optical performances, especially concerning the wavefront quality which is strongly governed by the stability of the telescope structure. Thus the structure of SILEX telescope must guarantee a stability of +/- 2 microns over 320 mm in length. This figure must be maintained for 10 years under extreme environmental conditions, this especially concerns temperature, irradiation, ageing and above all launch loads. Looking at this area the glass ceramic ZERODUR was a very promising material to be used as a structural material provided one overcomes the justified concern on its mechanical reliability due to the fact that it is a brittle material similar to glass. This contribution presents solutions of the basic problems in structural design, the means of material and process qualification, and final qualification against launch loads of the critical structural item.

Citation Download Citation

Hans Joachim Juranek, G. Kleer, and W. Doell "Use of glass ceramic as a structural material for a high-precision space telescope", Proc. SPIE 2210, Space Optics 1994: Space Instrumentation and Spacecraft Optics, (30 September 1994); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.188101

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