Orbiting UV observatory utilizing a commercial spacecraft

Paul N. Robb; Bernhard M. Haisch; Keith Strong; Donald E. Shemansky

doi:10.1117/12.285547

19 September 1997 Orbiting UV observatory utilizing a commercial spacecraft

Paul N. Robb, Bernhard M. Haisch, Keith Strong, Donald E. Shemansky

Proceedings Volume 3119, Multispectral Imaging for Terrestrial Applications II; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.285547
Event: Optical Science, Engineering and Instrumentation '97, 1997, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

We report on a design for a geosynchronous UV observatory optimized for imaging and spectrography of planets and comets. This solar system telescope (SST), based on a commercial developed spacecraft, was proposed to NASA as a Discovery mission. It can also serve as a low-cost orbiting observatory for other disciplines in space astronomy. The SST consists of a 140-cm-aperture telescope with an instrumentation section comprising four spectrographs and a wide-field UV imager. We use silicon carbide mirrors and a telescope structure provided by the Vavilov State Optical Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia. The spacecraft is derived from Lockheed Martin's commercial remote sensing satellite (CRSS), which provides attitude control, power, communications, and command and data handling, with minimal modifications. Using this approach, we were able to design an observatory with capabilities comparable to the Hubble Space Telescope at approximately 1/20th the cost.

Citation Download Citation

Paul N. Robb, Bernhard M. Haisch, Keith Strong, and Donald E. Shemansky "Orbiting UV observatory utilizing a commercial spacecraft", Proc. SPIE 3119, Multispectral Imaging for Terrestrial Applications II, (19 September 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.285547

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available