Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Reily, Cary.
The Space Optics Manufacturing Technology Center's X-ray Calibration Facility has been recently modified to test Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) developmental mirrors at cryogenic temperatures (35 degrees Kelvin) while maintaining capability for performance testing of x-ray optics and detectors. The facility's current cryo-optical testing capability and potential modifications for future support of NGST will be presented.
The manufacture and testing of the Technology Mirror Assembly (TMA), a prototype Wolter I telescope scaled to the dimensions of the innermost element of the High-Resolution Mirror Assembly for the NASA Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), are reviewed. Consideration is given to the grinding, polishing, coating, and assembly of the zerodur TMA blanks, the TMA mount design, and the test procedures used at the MSFC X-ray Calibration Facility. Test results indicate FWHM resolution less than 0.5 arcsec, but with significant near-field scattering attributed to ripple; further long-lap polishing is suggested.