The Libera instrument is being developed as part of a NASA Earth Venture Continuity mission for extending Earth radiation budget (ERB) measurements by the currently operational Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) instruments into the future. Libera will be launched on NOAA’s JPSS-4 satellite. Libera introduces several new technologies, including advanced VACNT detectors, a split-shortwave channel to quantify shortwave near-IR and visible radiation, and a wide field of view camera (WFC) that advance the state-of-the-art in Earth radiation budget measurements. The WFC is a monochromatic wide field of view camera operating at 555nm over a 123-degree field of view that will continuously observe the full Earth disk from low-earth orbit. The WFC provides a unique capability for scene identification and Angular Distribution Model (ADM) generation that complements similar measurements from the VIIRS instrument that will fly on JPSS-4 with Libera. By demonstrating that Libera’s WFC provides the data required for ADM development, a path forward for future free-flier ERB measurements will be explored. We focus on the development of the WFC, its science objectives, unique design features, its current state of development, and how it could help to enable a constellation of smaller, more cost-effective ERB instruments for the future.
KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Mirrors, James Webb Space Telescope, Space operations, Mirror structures, Thermal modeling, Thermal efficiency, Space telescopes, Off axis mirrors, Infrared telescopes
Some concepts for a future large IR/O/UV space telescope include a James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) style sunshade for thermal stability. This will bias the telescope cold and complicate one key advantage that a 6m high-contrast imaging telescope could have: operating and testing at room temperature. Early concepts of LUVOIR-B, a segmented, off-axis 8-meter aperture concept developed the Large Mission Concept Study Teams, predict more than 5kW of heat would be needed to bring the telescope to operating temperature. These room-temperature telescopes invite configurations that could take more advantage of solar heating. This paper explores architecture options and identifies some technologies, their maturation requirements, and risks.
KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Space operations, Sun, Space telescopes, Thermal modeling, Data modeling, Stray light control, MATLAB, Solar system, Solar energy
Starting with a conceptual thermal model of LUVIOR-A, provided by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, alternate concepts of operations are explored. A candidate technology was identified to use solar power for rough first stage heating. That innovation reimagines what functions a solar array can have in a large telescope architecture. By combining electricity generation, stray-light control, and thermal control into one agile deployable structure, the heater power requirements could be improved by reducing the inefficiency of solar power conversion.
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