High resolution telescope including an array of elemental telescopes aligned along a common axis and supported on a space frame with a pivot at its geometric center

Patent · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:868258

Norbert, Massie A ^[1]; Yale, Oster ^[2]

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1. San Ramon, CA
2. Danville, CA

A large effective-aperture, low-cost optical telescope with diffraction-limited resolution enables ground-based observation of near-earth space objects. The telescope has a non-redundant, thinned-aperture array in a center-mount, single-structure space frame. It employes speckle interferometric imaging to achieve diffraction-limited resolution. The signal-to-noise ratio problem is mitigated by moving the wavelength of operation to the near-IR, and the image is sensed by a Silicon CCD. The steerable, single-structure array presents a constant pupil. The center-mount, radar-like mount enables low-earth orbit space objects to be tracked as well as increases stiffness of the space frame. In the preferred embodiment, the array has elemental telescopes with subaperture of 2.1 m in a circle-of-nine configuration. The telescope array has an effective aperture of 12 m which provides a diffraction-limited resolution of 0.02 arc seconds. Pathlength matching of the telescope array is maintained by a electro-optical system employing laser metrology. Speckle imaging relaxes pathlength matching tolerance by one order of magnitude as compared to phased arrays. Many features of the telescope contribute to substantial reduction in costs. These include eliminating the conventional protective dome and reducing on-site construction activities. The cost of the telescope scales with the first power of the aperture rather than its third power as in conventional telescopes.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 5108168
• OSTI ID: 868258
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

resolution
telescope
including
array
elemental
telescopes
aligned
common
axis
supported
space
frame
pivot
geometric
center
effective-aperture
low-cost
optical
diffraction-limited
enables
ground-based
observation
near-earth
non-redundant
thinned-aperture
center-mount
single-structure
employes
speckle
interferometric
imaging
achieve
signal-to-noise
ratio
mitigated
moving
wavelength
operation
near-ir
image
sensed
silicon
ccd
steerable
constant
pupil
radar-like
mount
low-earth
orbit
tracked
increases
stiffness
preferred
embodiment
subaperture
circle-of-nine
configuration
effective
aperture
12
provides
02
pathlength
matching
maintained
electro-optical
employing
laser
metrology
relaxes
tolerance
magnitude
compared
phased
arrays
features
contribute
substantial
reduction
costs
eliminating
conventional
protective
dome
reducing
on-site
construction
activities
cost
scales
power
third
diffraction-limited resolution
space frame
signal-to-noise ratio
preferred embodiment
substantial reduction
noise ratio
common axis
speckle imaging
telescope array
laser metrology
resolution telescope
resolution enables
orbit space
optical telescope
phased array
near-earth space
geometric center
elemental telescopes
telescope including
thinned-aperture array
ground-based observation
enables ground-based
low-cost optical
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