SPHERE-IRDIS assembly, integration and testing: from bits and metal to a planet-hunting machine

Fabrice Madec; Kjetil Dohlen; Patrick Blanchard; Michael Carle; Alain Origné; Marc Jaquet; David Le Mignant; Rudy Barette; Gabriel Moreaux; Gilles Arthaud; Didier Ferrand; Jean-Claude Blanc; Patrick Vors; Franck Ducret; Laurence Gluck; Michel Saisse; Christophe Fabron; Philippe Laurent; Jean-Antoine Benedetti; William Bon; Marc Llored; Claire Moutou; Cécile Gry; Jean-Charles Meunier; Arthur Vigan; Lucien Hill; Maud P. Langlois; Jean-Louis Lizon; Vianak Naranjo; Roland Brast; Markus Feldt; Dan Popovic

doi:10.1117/12.926897

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24 September 2012 SPHERE-IRDIS assembly, integration and testing: from bits and metal to a planet-hunting machine

Fabrice Madec, Kjetil Dohlen, Patrick Blanchard, Michael Carle, Alain Origné, Marc Jaquet, David Le Mignant, Rudy Barette, Gabriel Moreaux, Gilles Arthaud, Didier Ferrand, Jean-Claude Blanc, Patrick Vors, Franck Ducret, Laurence Gluck, Michel Saisse, Christophe Fabron, Philippe Laurent, Jean-Antoine Benedetti, William Bon, Marc Llored, Claire Moutou, Cécile Gry, Jean-Charles Meunier, Arthur Vigan, Lucien Hill, Maud P. Langlois, Jean-Louis Lizon, Vianak Naranjo, Roland Brast, Markus Feldt, Dan Popovic

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Proceedings Volume 8446, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy IV; 844698 (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.926897
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2012, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Abstract

SPHERE, a second-generation instrument for the VLT, is currently under performance validation before shipping to Chile. The IRDIS sub-system, an Infra-Red Dual-Imager and Spectrograph, was integrated on the SPHERE bench last December, and this paper tells the story of the 12 months preceding this milestone: the Assembly, integration and Tests (AIT) performed at Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM). Key points of the AIT strategy are then presented, and the successes and failures---human, technical, and managerial---of this adventure are discussed. We also report on the excellent optical quality achieved, paramount to guarantee ultimate performance of the SPHERE instrument, thanks to high-quality optical manufacture and a successfully applied alignment strategy.

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Fabrice Madec, Kjetil Dohlen, Patrick Blanchard, Michael Carle, Alain Origné, Marc Jaquet, David Le Mignant, Rudy Barette, Gabriel Moreaux, Gilles Arthaud, Didier Ferrand, Jean-Claude Blanc, Patrick Vors, Franck Ducret, Laurence Gluck, Michel Saisse, Christophe Fabron, Philippe Laurent, Jean-Antoine Benedetti, William Bon, Marc Llored, Claire Moutou, Cécile Gry, Jean-Charles Meunier, Arthur Vigan, Lucien Hill, Maud P. Langlois, Jean-Louis Lizon, Vianak Naranjo, Roland Brast, Markus Feldt, and Dan Popovic "SPHERE-IRDIS assembly, integration and testing: from bits and metal to a planet-hunting machine", Proc. SPIE 8446, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy IV, 844698 (24 September 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.926897

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