Recent enhancements of the Phased Array Mirror Extendible Large Aperture (PAMELA) telescope testbed at MSFC

John M. Rakoczy; Edward E. Montgomery IV; Jeffrey L. Lindner

doi:10.1117/12.393940

2 August 2000 Recent enhancements of the Phased Array Mirror Extendible Large Aperture (PAMELA) telescope testbed at MSFC

John M. Rakoczy, Edward E. Montgomery IV, Jeffrey L. Lindner

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 4004, Telescope Structures, Enclosures, Controls, Assembly/Integration/Validation, and Commissioning; (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.393940
Event: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, 2000, Munich, Germany

Abstract

Recent incremental upgrades to the Phased Array Mirror Extendible Large Aperture (PAMELA) telescope testbed have enabled the demonstration of phasing (with a monochromatic source) of clusters of primary mirror segments down to the diffraction limit. PAMELA upgrades include an improved Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor, passive viscoelastic damping treatments for the voice-coil actuators, and mechanical improvement of mirror surface figures. This report summarizes the recent PAMELA upgrades and presents a status of this unique testbed for wavefront sensing and control. The Marshall Space Flight Center acquired the PAMELA telescope in 1993 after Kaman Aerospace was unable to complete integration and testing under the limited SDIO and DARPA funding. The PAMELA is a 36-segment, half-meter aperture, adaptive telescope which utilizes a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor, inductive coil edge sensors, voice coil actuators, imaging CCD cameras and interferometry for figure alignment, wavefront sensing and control. MSFC originally obtained the PAMELA to supplement its research in the interactions of control systems with flexible structures. In August 1994, complete tip, tilt and piston control was successfully demonstrated using the Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor and the inductive edge sensors.

Citation Download Citation

John M. Rakoczy, Edward E. Montgomery IV, and Jeffrey L. Lindner "Recent enhancements of the Phased Array Mirror Extendible Large Aperture (PAMELA) telescope testbed at MSFC", Proc. SPIE 4004, Telescope Structures, Enclosures, Controls, Assembly/Integration/Validation, and Commissioning, (2 August 2000); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.393940

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