Performance testing of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope primary mirror array

Mark T. Adams; John A. Booth; Grant M. Hill; Lawrence W. Ramsey

doi:10.1117/12.393901

2 August 2000 Performance testing of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope primary mirror array

Mark T. Adams, John A. Booth, Grant M. Hill, Lawrence W. Ramsey

Proceedings Volume 4004, Telescope Structures, Enclosures, Controls, Assembly/Integration/Validation, and Commissioning; (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.393901
Event: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, 2000, Munich, Germany

Abstract

To improve the image quality performance of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope's (HET) segmented primary mirror and to assist in the requirements definition for an optical alignment sensing and control system, multiple engineering tests have been designed and executed. The most significant of these tests have been the alignment maintenance baseline and solid mount tests. Together, these engineering tests defined the complex thermal and non-thermal response modes of the steel HET primary mirror truss and quantified the performance of the segment support system. We discuss the configuration and performance of the HET primary mirror, and discuss our engineering test motivation, goals, design, implementation and results. We also discuss the implications of our primary mirror performance test results for conceptually similar next generation telescope designs, such as the Extremely Large Telescope.

Citation Download Citation

Mark T. Adams, John A. Booth, Grant M. Hill, and Lawrence W. Ramsey "Performance testing of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope primary mirror array", Proc. SPIE 4004, Telescope Structures, Enclosures, Controls, Assembly/Integration/Validation, and Commissioning, (2 August 2000); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.393901

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