Space observation technologies encompass a diverse array of instruments designed to explore the universe beyond Earth's atmosphere. Optical telescopes utilise lenses or mirrors to capture and focus visible light, revealing intricate details of celestial objects such as stars, galaxies and nebulae. Radio telescopes detect and analyse radio waves emitted by cosmic sources, offering insights into phenomena invisible to the human eye, including pulsars, quasars and the cosmic microwave background radiation.
Optical telescopes
Optical/ground-based/astronomical telescopes include extremely large and very large telescopes. Aspects of optical and mechanical design of ground-based telescopes are used to observe artificial and natural celestial bodies.
- Optical telescope mirrors
Specifically related to primary and secondary mirrors for ground-based telescopes, focusing on mirrors with a single reflecting layer and multilayer mirrors with two or more reflecting layers. Mirrors with reflecting layers comprise dielectric materials or single or multiple metallic layers.
Segmented
Design of segmented mirrors for telescope applications. Methods and apparatus relating to reflecting light incident on segmented primary mirrors. Rotation, translation and alignment of individual segments.
Continuous face
Design of large aperture mirrors for telescope applications.
Mirror manufacturing - polishing
Methods and apparatus for polishing optical surfaces such as mirrors for astronomical telescopes. Techniques used for shaping, numerically controlled grinding and polishing.
Mirror manufacturing - polishing
Mirror testing
Methods for testing geometric parameters of large aperture mirrors such as the gravity unloading method, zero compensation method, Hindle method, computational holographic method and the sub-aperture stitching method.
Mirror cleaning
Cleaning apparatus capable of cleaning large diameter mirrors, including defrosting snow on a glass mirror surface especially in a low temperature environment.
- Optomechanical mounts for optical telescopes
Mountings, adjusting means or light-tight connections for mirrors especially adapted for very large mirrors.
- Telescope instrumentation active optics
Active optics systems designed to maintain good surface shape of the primary mirror during use of the telescope and ensure quality of back-end imaging.
- Telescope instrumentation adaptive optics
Adaptive optics (AO) for astronomical applications enable ground-based, large aperture telescopes to obtain near diffraction limit resolution by detecting and correcting wavefront distortion caused by atmospheric turbulence.
Deformable mirrors
Deformable mirrors as wavefront correction units in adaptive optics systems compensate for distorted wavefronts caused by atmospheric turbulence, thermal halos etc.
Wavefront sensing
Wavefront sensors used in AO systems detect distortion phase information of dynamic incident wavefronts in real time.
Laser guide stars for AO
Technology relating to laser guided star launch systems including sodium beacon lasers exciting sodium atoms in the atmosphere to produce a high brightness sodium guide star. They are used to detect wavefront distortion caused by atmospheric disturbances and correct it through the adaptive optical system, thereby significantly improving imaging resolution of ground-based optical telescopes.
Adaptive optics systems for astronomical applications
Adaptive Optics (AO) for astronomical applications enabling ground-based large-aperture telescopes to obtain near-diffraction-limit resolution by detecting and correcting wavefront distortion caused by atmospheric turbulence.
- Telescope instrumentation spectrometry
All applications relating to spectroscopy in astronomical applications including obtaining the spectrum of celestial bodies. This query searches for the terms spectrometers, spectrophotometers and spectrographs.
Spectrometry
Interferometric spectrometry
By correlation of amplitudes, devices without moving parts; devices of compact or symmetric construction; devices with a moving mirror; devices with a refractive scan; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.
Diffraction gratings for spectrometers
Diffraction gratings used as wavelength dispersing devices for spatially separating spectral components of light for subsequent measurements in spectroscopy.
- Telescope instrumentation imaging
Technologies aimed at capturing high-resolution images of celestial objects with detail and precision.
Telescope imaging systems
Aspects of imaging systems in optical telescopes including optical design, high-resolution and full-band imaging.
Interferometric imaging
Interferometric imaging techniques such as optical synthetic aperture imaging.
Curved detectors
Technology relating to curved detectors for reducing aberrations in imaging systems.
Freeform optics
Design of freeform optics and application to imaging systems (not limited to astronomical applications).
Radio telescopes
Radio telescopes are antennas designed to perform space observation detecting radio waves emitted from astronomical objects. The most common architectures include large reflectors and arrays and are implemented as ground-based stations or onboard a spacecraft. Supporting structures and characteristics of the antenna are important factors in influencing the performance of signals arriving at the receiver.
- Reflector
Single reflector architectures for radio telescopes comprise a single reflector illuminated by a feed connected to a receiver; only one surface is manufactured but often presents blockage problems. Dual reflector architectures for radio telescopes comprise multiple reflectors illuminated by a feed connected to a receiver; typical architectures are Cassegrain or Gregorian. Multiple surfaces are manufactured but cross polarisation performances are superior to single reflector architectures and the feed is easier to access.
Single reflector
Dual reflector
Reflector – adjustable shape
Reflectors for radio telescopes with an adjustable shape comprise reflectors that can be locally modified to account for specific design or performance constraints. Reflector modification can occur in real time or in the design stage.
Reflector – divided in panels
Reflectors for radio telescopes segmented in a plurality of parts comprise reflectors made of separate parts: such solution simplifies manufacturing and assembly of large structures.
- Supports
Supports for radio telescope reflectors comprise structures supporting the reflector, which are not normally in the field of view of the radio telescope, and structures supporting sub reflectors, which are often in the field of view of the radio telescope.
Supports for radio telescope feeds comprise structures supporting the feed, which are often in the field of view of the radio telescope: examples of such structures are struts, chains and generic supports.
Supports for reflectors
Supports for feeds
- Movement
Radio telescopes have an architecture where the whole system or parts of it could be repositioned in space to point in a different direction. It includes configurations where the reflector remains fixed, whereas the feed can be repositioned in space to point in a different direction, or where the feed remains fixed, whereas the reflector can be repositioned in space to point in a different direction.
Two axis mechanical movement of whole system
Two axis mechanical movement of whole system
Movable feed, fixed reflector
Movable reflector, fixed feed
- Feeds
Feeds for radio telescopes reflectors include horns, i.e. tapered waveguides, or phased arrays, i.e. arrays of radiating elements where the input/output of the feeds are combined via a phasing network, used as feeds for radio telescope reflectors.
Horns
Phased arrays
- Reduction of undesired effects
Mitigation solution to reduce edge scattering, aperture blockage, feed spillover and polarisation mismatch in reflector architectures for radio telescopes.
- Direct radiating arrays
Arrays of radiating elements for radio telescopes operating without the presence of a reflector and also including direct radiating phased arrays.
