Technology development for cryogenic deployable telescope structures and mechanisms

Charles B. Atkinson; Larry Gilman; Paul Reynolds

doi:10.1117/12.506388

12 December 2003 Technology development for cryogenic deployable telescope structures and mechanisms

Charles B. Atkinson, Larry Gilman, Paul Reynolds

Proceedings Volume 5179, Optical Materials and Structures Technologies; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.506388
Event: Optical Science and Technology, SPIE's 48th Annual Meeting, 2003, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

At 6-7 meters in diameter, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will require structures that remain stable to levels that are on the order of 10 nanometers under dynamic and thermal loading while operating at cryogenic temperatures. Moreover, the JWST will be the first telescope in space that is deployed, resulting in an aperture that is not only segmented, but has hinge-lines and the associated joining systems or latches in it. In order to understand the behavior and reduce the risk associated with very large, deployed structures and the stability of the associated structure and latches, we developed and tested the largest cryogenic structure ever built and then characterized its stability. This paper presents a description of the design of the Development Optical Telescope Assembly (DOTA), the testing performed, and the results of the testing performed on it. We discuss the material selection and characterization processes, give a description of the test configurations, describe the metrology equipment and the validation process for it, provide the test results, and summarize the conclusions drawn from the results. The testing and associated results include characterization of the thermal stability of the large-scale structure, characterization of the micro-dynamic stability of the latching system, and measurements of the deployment capability of the mechanisms. We also describe how the DOTA design relates to the JWST design and how the test results relate to the JWST requirements.

Citation Download Citation

Charles B. Atkinson, Larry Gilman, and Paul Reynolds "Technology development for cryogenic deployable telescope structures and mechanisms", Proc. SPIE 5179, Optical Materials and Structures Technologies, (12 December 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.506388

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