This paper presents results of the feedback control design for JPL's Fast Steering Mirror (FSM) for the WFIRST- AFTA coronagraph instrument. The objective of this controller is to cancel jitter disturbances in the beam from the spacecraft to a pointing stability of 0.4 masec over the duration of the observation using a momentum- compensated FSM. The plant model for the FSM was characterized experimentally, and the sensor model is based on simulated modeling. The control approach is divided between feedback compensation of low frequency attitude control system (ACS) drift, and feedforward cancellation of high frequency tonal disturbances originating from reaction wheel excitation of the telescope structure. This paper will present various aspects of the controller design, plant characterization, sensor modeling, disturbance estimation, performance simulation, and preliminary experimental testing results.
"Exo-C" is NASAs first community study of a modest aperture space telescope mission that is optimized for high contrast observations of exoplanetary systems. The mission will be capable of taking optical spectra of nearby exoplanets in reflected light, discovering previously undetected planets, and imaging structure in a large sample of circumstellar disks. It will obtain unique science results on planets down to super-Earth sizes and serve as a technology pathfinder toward an eventual flagship-class mission to find and characterize habitable Earth-like exoplanets. We present the mission/payload design and highlight steps to reduce mission cost/risk relative to previous mission concepts. Key elements are an unobscured telescope aperture, an internal coronagraph with deformable mirrors for precise wavefront control, and an orbit and observatory design chosen for high thermal stability. Exo-C has a similar telescope aperture, orbit, lifetime, and spacecraft bus requirements to the highly successful Kepler mission (which is our cost reference). Much of the needed technology development is being pursued under the WFIRST coronagraph study and would support a mission start in 2017, should NASA decide to proceed. This paper summarizes the study final report completed in March 2015.
“Exo-C” is NASA’s first community study of a modest aperture space telescope designed for high contrast observations of exoplanetary systems. The mission will be capable of taking optical spectra of nearby exoplanets in reflected light, discover previously undetected planets, and imaging structure in a large sample of circumstellar disks. It will obtain unique science results on planets down to super-Earth sizes and serve as a technology pathfinder toward an eventual flagship-class mission to find and characterize habitable exoplanets. We present the mission/payload design and highlight steps to reduce mission cost/risk relative to previous mission concepts. At the study conclusion in 2015, NASA will evaluate it for potential development at the end of this decade.
The Debris Disk Explorer (DDX) is a proposed balloon-borne investigation of debris disks around nearby stars. Debris disks are analogs of the Asteroid Belt (mainly rocky) and Kuiper Belt (mainly icy) in our Solar System. DDX will measure the size, shape, brightness, and color of tens of disks. These measurements will enable us to place the Solar System in context. By imaging debris disks around nearby stars, DDX will reveal the presence of perturbing planets via their influence on disk structure, and explore the physics and history of debris disks by characterizing the size and composition of disk dust. The DDX instrument is a 0.75-m diameter off-axis telescope and a coronagraph carried by a stratospheric balloon. DDX will take high-resolution, multi-wavelength images of the debris disks around tens of nearby stars. Two flights are planned; an overnight test flight within the United States followed by a month-long science flight launched from New Zealand. The long flight will fully explore the set of known debris disks accessible only to DDX. It will achieve a raw contrast of 10−7, with a processed contrast of 10−8. A technology benefit of DDX is that operation in the near-space environment will raise the Technology Readiness Level of internal coronagraphs, deformable mirrors, and wavefront sensing and control, all potentially needed for a future space-based telescope for high-contrast exoplanet imaging.
Debris disks around nearby stars are tracers of the planet formation process, and they are a key element of our understanding of the formation and evolution of extrasolar planetary systems. With multi-color images of a significant number of disks, we can probe important questions: can we learn about planetary system evolution; what materials are the disks made of; and can they reveal the presence of planets? Most disks are known to exist only through their infrared flux excesses as measured by the Spitzer Space Telescope, and through images measured by Herschel. The brightest, most extended disks have been imaged with HST, and a few, such as Fomalhaut, can be observed using ground-based telescopes. But the number of good images is still very small, and there are none of disks with densities as low as the disk associated with the asteroid belt and Edgeworth Kuiper belt in our own Solar System.
Direct imaging of disks is a major observational challenge, demanding high angular resolution and extremely high dynamic range close to the parent star. The ultimate experiment requires a space-based platform, but demonstrating much of the needed technology, mitigating the technical risks of a space-based coronagraph, and performing valuable measurements of circumstellar debris disks, can be done from a high-altitude balloon platform. In this paper we present a balloon-borne telescope concept based on the Zodiac II design that could undertake compelling studies of a sample of debris disks.
Zodiac II is a proposed balloon-borne science investigation of debris disks around nearby stars. Debris disks are
analogs of the Asteroid Belt (mainly rocky) and Kuiper Belt (mainly icy) in our Solar System. Zodiac II will
measure the size, shape, brightness, and color of a statistically significant sample of disks. These measurements
will enable us to probe these fundamental questions: what do debris disks tell us about the evolution of planetary
systems; how are debris disks produced; how are debris disks shaped by planets; what materials are debris disks
made of; how much dust do debris disks make as they grind down; and how long do debris disks live? In addition,
Zodiac II will observe hot, young exoplanets as targets of opportunity.
The Zodiac II instrument is a 1.1-m diameter SiC telescope and an imaging coronagraph on a gondola carried
by a stratospheric balloon. Its data product is a set of images of each targeted debris disk in four broad visiblewavelength
bands. Zodiac II will address its science questions by taking high-resolution, multi-wavelength images
of the debris disks around tens of nearby stars. Mid-latitude flights are considered: overnight test flights within
the United States followed by half-global flights in the Southern Hemisphere. These longer flights are required to
fully explore the set of known debris disks accessible only to Zodiac II. On these targets, it will be 100 times more
sensitive than the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys (HST/ACS); no existing telescope
can match the Zodiac II contrast and resolution performance. A second objective of Zodiac II is to use the
near-space environment to raise the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of SiC mirrors, internal coronagraphs,
deformable mirrors, and wavefront sensing and control, all potentially needed for a future space-based telescope
for high-contrast exoplanet imaging.
KEYWORDS: Stars, Space telescopes, Telescopes, Coronagraphy, Space operations, Optical isolators, Control systems, Cameras, Point spread functions, Observatories
ACCESS (Actively-Corrected Coronagraph for Exoplanet System Studies) was one of four medium-class exoplanet
concepts selected for the NASA Astrophysics Strategic Mission Concept Study (ASMCS) program in 2008/2009 [14,
15]. The ACCESS study evaluated four major coronagraph concepts under a common space observatory. This paper
describes the high precision pointing control system (PCS) baselined for this observatory.
ACCESS is one of four medium-class mission concepts selected for study in 2008-9 by NASA's Astrophysics Strategic
Mission Concepts Study program. ACCESS evaluates a space observatory designed for extreme high-contrast imaging
and spectroscopy of exoplanetary systems. An actively-corrected coronagraph is used to suppress the glare of diffracted
and scattered starlight to contrast levels required for exoplanet imaging. The ACCESS study considered the relative
merits and readiness of four major coronagraph types, and modeled their performance with a NASA medium-class space
telescope. The ACCESS study asks: What is the most capable medium-class coronagraphic mission that is possible with
telescope, instrument, and spacecraft technologies available today? Using demonstrated high-TRL technologies, the
ACCESS science program surveys the nearest 120+ AFGK stars for exoplanet systems, and surveys the majority of
those for exozodiacal dust to the level of 1 zodi at 3 AU. Coronagraph technology developments in the coming year are
expected to further enhance the science reach of the ACCESS mission concept.
This paper describes the high precision Instrument Pointing Control System (PCS) for the Stellar Interferometry Mission (SIM) - Planet Quest. The PCS system provides front-end pointing, compensation for spacecraft motion, and feedforward stabilization, which are needed for proper interference. Optical interferometric measurements require very precise pointing (0.03 as, 1-σ radial) for maximizing the interference pattern visibility. This requirement is achieved by fine pointing control of articulating pointing mirrors with feedback from angle tracking cameras. The overall pointing system design concept is presented. Functional requirements and an acquisition concept are given. Guide and Science pointing control loops are discussed. Simulation analyses demonstrate the feasibility of the design.
This paper describes the high precision pointing control system for the Eclipse telescope. Eclipse is a mission under
study at the Jet propulsion Laboratory. Eclipse is a space telescope that uses a coronagraph for high-contrast optical
astronomy to study planets around nearby stars. Eclipse observations require very precise pointing, 0.01 arcseconds (3-
σ) during the exposure periods that could be as long as 1000 seconds. This study shows a two layer pointing approach
for achieving these requirements. In the first layer, the spacecraft ACS stabilizes the line-of-sight to 0.15 arcseconds (3-
σ). In the second layer, a Fine Steering Mirror centers the star in the occulting mask to the 0.01 arcseconds (3-σ). The
knowledge needed to achieve the desired pointing accuracy is provided by a Fine Guidance Camera. In addition,
structural and thermal induced jitter is minimized by design, and through the use of reaction wheel isolators and
operational constraints.
This paper discusses an accurate and efficient method for
focal plane survey that was used for the Spitzer Space Telescope.
The approach is based on using a high-order 37-state Instrument Pointing Frame (IPF) Kalman filter that combines both engineering parameters and science parameters into a single filter formulation. In this approach, engineering parameters such as pointing alignments, thermomechanical drift and gyro drifts are estimated along with
science parameters such as plate scales and optical distortions. This integrated approach has many advantages compared to estimating the engineering and science parameters separately. The resulting focal plane survey approach is applicable to a diverse range of science instruments such as imaging cameras, spectroscopy slits, and scanning-type arrays alike. The paper will summarize results from applying the IPF Kalman filter to calibrating the Spitzer Space Telescope focal plane, containing the MIPS, IRAC, and the IRS science instrument arrays.
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