A hovercraft to clean large telescope mirrors

Ronald Holzlöhner; Juan Antonio Marrero Hernández

doi:10.1117/12.3019816

29 August 2024 A hovercraft to clean large telescope mirrors

Ronald Holzlöhner, Juan Antonio Marrero Hernández

Proceedings Volume 13100, Advances in Optical and Mechanical Technologies for Telescopes and Instrumentation VI; 131005Y (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3019816
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2024, Yokohama, Japan

Conference Poster

Abstract

Telescope mirrors are exposed to the open sky throughout the entire night and become correspondingly dusty. The dust can cement onto the surface and become difficult to remove unless the mirror is frequently cleaned off in-situ, which thus becomes a crucial method for extending the uninterrupted mirror lifetime between washing or recoating. However, providing safe access to large mirrors and the application of a gentle and quick cleaning method are challenging. We demonstrate a custom hovercraft for in-situ telescope mirror cleaning that floats above a mirror, maintaining a safe working distance to the surface of a few millimeters. The hovercraft blows off the large dust particles, while an array of spinning brushes with super-soft tapered PTFE bristles removes the very small particles, supported by electrostatic forces. The hovercraft is powered by an external blower through an air hose and guided by a crane or a movable boom. We demonstrate the thorough cleaning of large dusty mirrors and examine the cleaned samples microscopically for scratches.

(2024) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Citation Download Citation

Ronald Holzlöhner and Juan Antonio Marrero Hernández "A hovercraft to clean large telescope mirrors", Proc. SPIE 13100, Advances in Optical and Mechanical Technologies for Telescopes and Instrumentation VI, 131005Y (29 August 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3019816

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