Space telescopes are required to be lightweight and small without compromising high optical performance. A Metallic mirror is one of the technologies that can meet launch conditions, the harsh space environment and achieve the optical requirements of an imaging payload and have been widely used from JWST to new space payloads. Flexible mounting pads are one of the geometrical designs within a metallic mirror that is a very critical part which mounts the mirror to the supporting structure. Flexible pads improve optical stability by reducing screw pressure from mounting and increase vibration endurance by creating more flexibility in the design. This study will use Finite Element Analysis to optimize the shape of flexible pads, examining the effects on mechanical and optical performance by varying geometric dimensions in a parametric study under multiple scenarios from manufacturing to operating in orbit. The results highlight the parameters that have the biggest impact on mechanical and optical performance in each scenario and describe the relation between the parameters that affect mechanical and optical performance that improve the understanding of the opto-mechanical design of metallic mirrors. Finally, the design will be optimized with multiple objectives to get the most optimal design based on all scenario’s conditions.
The parametric study could be analyzed with the sensitivity study, response surface, and optimization. The results show the parameters that have the most impact on performance and show its effect on performance in various conditions such as manufacturing load, grounded based stability with screw pressure, natural frequency, thermal load, and gravity release. The optimization process can lead to the improvement of the optical design. This study improves understanding of opto-mechanical design of the flexible pads in metallic mirrors, which can be applied to other metallic mirror designs.
Despite the established role of additive manufacturing (AM) in aerospace and medical fields, its adoption in astronomy remains low. Encouraging AM integration in a risk-averse community necessitates documentation and dissemination of previous case studies. The objective of this study is to create the first review of AM in astronomy hardware, answering: where is AM currently being used in astronomy, what is the status of its adoption, and what challenges are preventing its widespread use? The review starts with an introduction to astronomical instruments size/cost challenges, alongside the role of manufacturing innovation. This is followed by highlighting the benefits/challenges of AM and used materials/processes in both space-based and groundbased applications. The review case studies include mirrors, optomechanical structures, compliant mechanisms, brackets and tooling applications that are either in research phase or are implemented.
Achieving precise tolerances in the assembly of optical components is crucial for the performance of off-axis optical systems. This study focuses on the design and evaluation of assembly methods and mechanisms of an Offner spectrometer with the goal of demonstrating their capability to achieve tolerances within 40 microns. The methodology involves the development of assembly methods and mechanisms specifically tailored for off-axis optical systems. Representative models of optical components and custom adaptors were designed and manufactured to facilitate the assembly process. Procedures were devised for setting up, repositioning, and locking the representative models. The proposed methods and mechanisms were evaluated using measurements from a Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM). The accumulated tolerance in each step of the assembly process was analyzed, ensuring that the overall performance met the desired specifications. The findings validate the effectiveness and reliability of the developed approach, offering valuable insights for the design and implementation of similar systems.
Lightweight, aluminum, freeform prototype mirrors have been designed and fabricated by a Thai led team, with UK support, for intended applications within the Thai Space Consortium (TSC) satellite series. The project motivation was to explore the different design strategies and fabrication steps enabled by both conventional (mill, drill, and lathe) and additive (3D printing) manufacture of the prototype substrates. Single Point Diamond Turning was used to convert the substrates into mirrors and optical metrology was used to evaluate the different mirror surfaces. The prototype criteria originated from the TSC-1 satellite tertiary mirror, which is designed to minimize the effect of Seidel aberrations before the beam enters the hyperspectral imager. To converge upon the prototype designs, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was used to evaluate the different physical conditions experienced by the prototypes during manufacture and how these influence the optical performance. The selected designs satisfied the mass and surface displacement criteria of the prototype and were adapted to either the conventional or additive manufacturing process. This paper will present the prototype design process, substrate manufacture, optical fabrication, and an interferometric evaluation of the optical surfaces comparing the conventional and additive manufacturing processes.
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