Next Generation Space Telescope. I: Design Considerations
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Abstract
The pointing control system of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) represents the current state of the art for the precision control of a large spacecraft. The proposed Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) will require an order‐of‐magnitude increase in pointing resolution over that of HST. The use of active optics in the form of a steerable secondary mirror has been proposed for NGST in order to satisfy these requirements. An introduction to some of the design concepts associated with the design of the NGST, including a description of the proposed vehicle, a description of the pertinent design parameters, and a description of the types of disturbances to which it may be subjected, is given herein. A companion paper provides a description of a feasibility study conducted to evaluate the use of a control system for the implementation of “beam steering” to compensate for the motion of the vehicle without necessitating the reorientation of the whole structure.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 7 • Issue 4 • October 1994
Pages: 355 - 374
Copyright
Copyright © 1994 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 28, 1992
Published online: Oct 1, 1994
Published in print: Oct 1994
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