Active damping of the SOFIA Telescope assembly

Paul J. Keas; Edward Dunham; Ulrich Lampater; Enrico Pfüller; Stefan Teufel; Hans-Peter Roeser; Manuel Wiedemann; Jürgen Wolf

doi:10.1117/12.924791

27 September 2012 Active damping of the SOFIA Telescope assembly

Paul J. Keas, Edward Dunham, Ulrich Lampater, Enrico Pfüller, Stefan Teufel, Hans-Peter Roeser, Manuel Wiedemann, Jürgen Wolf

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8444, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes IV; 844411 (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.924791
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2012, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Abstract

The NASA/DLR Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) employs a 2.5-meter reflector telescope in a Boeing 747SP. The telescope is housed in an open cavity and is subjected to aeroacoustic and inertial disturbances in flight. To meet pointing requirements, SOFIA must achieve a pointing stability of approximately 0.5 arcseconds RMS. An active damping control system is being developed for SOFIA to reduce image jitter and image degradation due to resonance of the telescope assembly. Our paper discusses the history of the active damping design for SOFIA, from early concepts to the current implementation which has recently completed a ground and flight testing for proof-of-concept. We describe some milestones in the analysis and testing of the telescope assembly which guided the development of the vibration control system. The control synthesis approach and current implementation of the active damping control system is presented. Finally, we summarize the performance observed in early flight tests and the steps that are currently foreseen to completing the development of this system.

Citation Download Citation

Paul J. Keas, Edward Dunham, Ulrich Lampater, Enrico Pfüller, Stefan Teufel, Hans-Peter Roeser, Manuel Wiedemann, and Jürgen Wolf "Active damping of the SOFIA Telescope assembly", Proc. SPIE 8444, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes IV, 844411 (27 September 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.924791

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