(ORDO NEWS) — Spraying a polymer onto a rotating liquid makes it possible to obtain a thin reflective membrane of a parabolic shape.
To send into orbit, such a flexible mirror can be rolled up, and then deployed again in place and restored to shape, getting a large mirror for the telescope.
The size of telescopes directly affects their ability to see farther and more detail. However, the delivery of large mirrors into space is limited by the available volumes aboard launch vehicles.
Therefore, the largest of these devices, such as the James Webb telescope, are forced to use complex, multi-component mirrors that are already deployed in space.
Sebastian Rabien from the Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics of the German Max Planck Society has demonstrated a new approach to solving this problem.
The technology uses a flexible reflective membrane that twists before launch, and when it reaches the target, it unfolds to form a parabolic mirror of the desired size.
A flexible mirror is made on a rotating fluid support that forms an ideal parabolic shape.
A thin layer of molecules is applied to it in vacuum using vapor phase deposition, which immediately polymerizes, forming a light reflective membrane.
Scientists have successfully tested this approach in the laboratory, producing a small mirror with a diameter of 30 centimeters.
At the same time, they are confident that the method can be easily scaled by bringing the reflective surface to the desired size.
Flexible membrane rolls up and folds for easy transport. When deployed, it loses its ideal parabolic shape, but the authors of the study found a way to restore it.
To do this, the material is locally heated by radiation in the desired areas and deformed. By controlling this effect, it is possible to return a flat parabolic surface to the flexible mirror.
—
Online:
Contact us: [email protected]
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.