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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 613 records · Page 34

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NASA NTRS1985

Balloon-borne three-meter telescope for far-infrared and submillimeter astronomy

Presented are scientific objectives, engineering analysis and design, and results of technology development for a Three-Meter Balloon-Borne Far-Infrared and Submillimeter Telescope. The scientific rationale is based on two crucial instrumental capabilities: high angular resolution which approaches eight arcseconds at one hundred micron wavelength, and high resolving power spectroscopy with good sensitivity throughout the telescope's 30-micron to 1-mm wavelength range. The high angular resolution will allow us to resolve and study in detail such objects as collapsing protostellar condensations in our own galaxy, clusters of protostars in the Magellanic clouds, giant molecular clouds in nearby galaxies, and spiral arms in distant galaxies. The large aperture of the telescope will permit sensitive spectral line measurements of molecules, atoms, and ions, which can be used to probe the physical, chemical, and dynamical conditions in a wide variety of objects.

Fazio, G. G.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Self-locking telescoping manipulator arm

A telescoping manipulator arm and pivotable finger assembly are disclosed. The telescoping arm assembly includes a generally T-shaped arm having three outwardly extending fingers guided on grooved roller guides to compensate for environmental variations. The pivotable finger assembly includes four pivoting fingers. Arcuate teeth are formed on the ends of the fingers. A rack having teeth on four sides meshes with each one of the fingers. One surface of the rack includes teeth along its entire surface which mesh with teeth of one of the fingers. The teeth at the remote end of the rack engage teeth of a gear wheel. The wheel includes a worm which meshes with a worn drive shaft of the drive motor providing a ninety degree self-locking drive for locking the fingers in a desired position. A similar drive provides a self-locking drive for positioning the telescoping arm.

Nesmith, M. F.↗

NASA NTRS1986

A study of 35-ghz radar-assisted orbital maneuvering vehicle/space telescope docking

An experiment was conducted to study the effects of measuring range and range rate information from a complex radar target (a one-third scale model of the Edwin P. Hubble Space Telescope). The radar ranging system was a 35-GHz frequency-modulated continuous wave unit developed in the Communication Systems Branch of the Information and Electronic Systems Laboratory at Marshall Space Flight Cneter. Measurements were made over radar-to-target distances of 5 meters to 15 meters to simulate the close distance realized in the final stages of space vehicle docking. The Space Telescope model target was driven by an antenna positioner through a range of azimuth and elevation (pitch) angles to present a variety of visual aspects of the aft end to the radar. Measurements were obtained with and without a cube corner reflector mounted in the center of the aft end of the model. The results indicate that range and range rate measurements are performed significantly more accurately with the cooperative radar reflector affixed. The results further reveal that range rate (velocity) can be measured accurately enough to support the required soft docking with the Space Telescope.

Mcdonald, M. W.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Space infrared telescope pointing control system. Automated star pattern recognition

The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) is a free flying spacecraft carrying a 1 meter class cryogenically cooled infrared telescope nearly three oders of magnitude most sensitive than the current generation of infrared telescopes. Three automatic target acquisition methods will be presented that are based on the use of an imaging star tracker. The methods are distinguished by the number of guidestars that are required per target, the amount of computational capability necessary, and the time required for the complete acquisition process. Each method is described in detail.

Powell, J. D.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Candidate galaxies for study of the local velocity field and distance scale using Space Telescope. I - The most easily resolved. II - The more difficult cases. III - Galaxies in the Virgo cluster core

A subset of 1246 Shapley-Ames galaxies is presented which holds promise for some degree of useful resolution by the Space Telescope. The 95 candidate galaxies easiest to resolve are described and illustrated first. Many of these can be readily resolved into brightest stars from the ground with presently available telescopes at a few sites, while others might be resolved from the ground into at least the brightest blue supergiants. Then, 152 additional candidates are presented which can only be adequately studied with the Space Telescope. Finally, the most promising galaxies for studies of the resolved stellar content that occur in the central six degree core of the Virgo cluster are given. These are expected to be useful for any direct attack on the distance to the cluster itself.

Sandage, A.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Moisture loss from graphite structures for the Hubble Space Telescope

The construction and telescope assembly of the NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is described with particular reference to the features of its construction material. Due to the hygroscopic nature of the graphite-fiber reinforced epoxy, used for much of the structure of the HST, the telescope, when in orbit, suffers losses of water, absorbed during on-ground procedures, accompanied by shrinkage of the epoxy matrix, and needs periodic realignment. Using a combination of analytic, laboratory measured, and in-space measured data, an operational plan for adjusting the alignment of the HST is presented. The refocusing plan must take into account the preceding ground environment, as well as the prelaunch, lift-off, and predeployment environments of the HST-bearing Space Shuttle.

Facey, T. A.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Impact of chopping on image quality in the SIRTF telescope

The initial Phase-A concept for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), which was established in 1981, is concerned with a cryogenically cooled, 85 cm diameter, f/24 Ritchey-Chretien telescope, followed by a Multiple Instrument Chamber (MIC), containing six scientific instruments. In 1982, the Phase-A concept was reviewed with the aim to assess the technical readiness for the next phase of development. Various areas of concern were subsequently investigated in three parallel studies by industry. Two of the arising questions are considered in the present paper, taking into account the system and technology implications of achieving diffraction-limited resolution at 2 microns, and the limitations on the size of the imaging field under this condition. The conducted study takes into account an evaluation of the different methods of chopping. Attention is given to the telescope parameters, symmetric chopping, asymmetrical chopping, focus and alignment errors, the wavefront-error budget, and image quality.

Bottema, M.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Near anastigmatic grazing incidence telescope

A performance capability assessment is presently conducted for short versus long grazing incidence telescope designs, in view of the observation that the field curvature and astigmatism that are the primary residual aberrations of a Wolter-type incidence telescope can be substantially reduced through mirror length reduction. A major advantage of the short element telescope is that, if sufficiently short, both the paraboloid and hyperboloid surfaces may be fabricated as a single piece; this significantly facilitates the task of alignment.

Korsch, D.↗

NASA NTRS1985

An overview of optical telescope technology

Telescopes had tended to follow established designs until costs made it essential to look toward significant departures from conventional designs. Attempts to introduce some new concepts were without success until the Multiple Mirror Telescope broke the established pattern. Now several new possibilities are being engineered for the very large telescopes of the future.

Meinel, A. B.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Hubble Space Telescope satellite

The Hubble Space Telescope, named for the American astronomer Edwin Powell Hubble, will be the largest and most powerful astronomical instrument ever orbited. Placed above the obscuring effects of the earth's atmosphere in a 600-km orbit, this remotely-controlled, free-flying satellite observatory will expand the terrestrial-equivalent resolution of the universe by a factor of seven, or a volumetric factor of 350. This telescope has a 2.4-m primary mirror and can accommodate five scientific instruments (cameras, spectrographs and photometers). The optics are suitable for a spectral range from 1100 angstrom to 1 mm wavelength. With a projected service life of fifteen years, the spacecraft can be serviced on-orbit for replacement of degraded systems, to insert advanced scientific instruments, and to reboost the telescope from decayed altitudes. The anticipated image quality will be a result of extremely precise lambda/20 optics, stringent cleanliness, and very stable pointing: jitter will be held to less than 0.01 arcsecond for indefinite observation periods, consistent with instrument apertures as small as 0.1 arcsecond.

Mitchell, R. E.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Prospects for astrometry with the Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST), a large optical telescope having an aperture of 2.4 meters and a length of 8.8 meters, is being developed by NASA. This telescope will be placed into earth orbit by the Space Shuttle. Astrometric observations with the HST are made using a Fine Guidance Sensor which is capable of measuring the position of one object relative to another with an accuracy of + or - 0.002 arcseconds. The astrometric user of HST will be provided with an Astrometric Data Reduction Software package. The variety of astrometric problems to be investigated with HST is discussed.

Jefferys, W. H.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Effects of a despaced secondary of a Wolter type II telescope on image quality

The focal shift of the Wolter type II telescope, a glancing incidence analog of the normal incidence Cassegrain telescope, due to the despacing of the secondary with respect to the primary, is analyzed. The location of the rms best focus on the optical axis can be derived from a resulting expression. The results are verified by ray tracing of an actual Wolter type II telescope.

Saha, T. T.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Analysis of a new class of grazing incidence spectroscopic telescope

The throughput and imaging properties of one of a new class of grazing incidence spectroscopic telescope are examined with a Monte Carlo ray tracing technique. The results are compared with Wolter Schwarzschild type II telescopes of similar size. The image quality of this telescope is comparable, and the control of the off-axis light is superior to the Wolter Schwarzschild design.

Green, J. C.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Versatile X-Ray Telescope

Proposed telescope for x-rays and extreme ultraviolet rays features high spectral and spatial resolution. Basic x-ray telescope includes glancing-incidence, two-element primary reflector and concave, off-axis ellipsoidal secondary reflector. Different versions of telescope obtained by use of different reflector and detector configurations.

Hoover, R. B.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Wide-Angle, Flat-Field Telescope

All-reflective system unvignetted. Wide-angle telescope uses unobstructed reflecting elements to produce flat image. No refracting elements, no chromatic aberration, and telescope operates over spectral range from infrared to far ultraviolet. Telescope used with such image detectors as photographic firm, vidicons, and solid-state image arrays.

Hallam, K. L.↗

NASA NTRS1986

A cost-performance model for ground-based optical communications receiving telescopes

An analytical cost-performance model for a ground-based optical communications receiving telescope is presented. The model considers costs of existing telescopes as a function of diameter and field of view. This, coupled with communication performance as a function of receiver diameter and field of view, yields the appropriate telescope cost versus communication performance curve.

Lesh, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Experimental evaluation of the ring focus test for X-ray telescopes using AXAF's technology mirror assembly, MSFC CDDF Project No. H20

A test method particularly suited for X-ray telescopes was evaluated experimentally. The method makes use of a focused ring formed by an annular aperture when using a point source at a finite distance. This would supplement measurements of the best focus image which is blurred when the test source is at a finite distance. The telescope used was the Technology Mirror Assembly of the Advanced X-ray Astrophysis Facility (AXAF) program. Observed ring image defects could be related to the azimuthal location of their sources in the telescope even though in this case the predicted sharp ring was obscured by scattering, finite source size, and residual figure errors.

Zissa, D. E.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Very long baseline interferometry using a radio telescope in Earth orbit

Successful Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations at 2.3 GHz were made using an antenna aboard an Earth-orbiting spacecraft as one of the receiving telescopes. These observations employed the first deployed satellite (TDRSE-E for East) of the NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS). Fringes were found for 3 radio sources on baselines between TDRSE and telescopes in Australia and Japan. The purpose of this experiment and the characteristics of the spacecraft that are related to the VLBI observations are described. The technical obstacles to maintaining phase coherence between the orbiting antenna and the ground stations, as well as the calibration schemes for the communication link between TDRSE and its ground station at White Sands, New Mexico are explored. System coherence results and scientific results for the radio source observations are presented. Using all available calibrations, a coherence of 84% over 700 seconds was achieved for baselines to the orbiting telescope.

Ulvestad, J. S.↗