Emulsion Technique in Fabrication of Space Telescope Mirror

Abstract

The optical primary mirror is the most critical and important component of an space optical telescope. The primary mirror is main heaviest component used for manufacturing the astronomical optical telescope. The optimization of the optical telescope design can be addressed by reducing mirror weight, cost, and mirror materials. For improvement of the mirror active surface configuring, polish- ing, and surface coating is required. Traditional way of fabricating techniques like milling is expensive and consume lots of time. Existing joining process like Hy- droxide bonding technique can be used for fabricating primary mirror. Establish the bonding between materials becomes a challenging task, when high stability is required at temperature variation. Stable, simple room temperature bonding process with less thickness and better strength makes hydroxide bonding process better option for making primary mirror. For making light weight and stable large primary mirror CFRP is the best candidate. By optical surface transfer method CFRP mirror can be manufacured. Due to use of coating and other suggestion like to add an extra resin layer, CFRP mirror active surface can improve.