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Multiple Spacecraft Observatories for 2020 and Beyond: Breaking a Tradition of Four Centuries

Multiple Spacecraft Observatories for 2020 and Beyond: Breaking a Tradition of Four Centuries. Webster Cash University of Colorado. Telescope. Large Telescope. Multiple Telescopes. Radio Telescope. Large Radio Telescope. Multiple Radio Telescopes. Space Telescope. Large Space Telescopes.

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Multiple Spacecraft Observatories for 2020 and Beyond: Breaking a Tradition of Four Centuries

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  1. Multiple Spacecraft Observatories for 2020 and Beyond: Breaking a Tradition of Four Centuries Webster Cash University of Colorado

  2. Telescope

  3. Large Telescope

  4. Multiple Telescopes

  5. Radio Telescope

  6. Large Radio Telescope

  7. Multiple Radio Telescopes

  8. Space Telescope

  9. Large Space Telescopes • ATLAST 8-16m Visible light • Gen-X 1000x area, 10x res (vs Chandra) • SAFIR 100x Spitzer area These represent the largest affordable telescopes. They are being proposed right now.

  10. Multiple Space Telescopes Natural Evolution, because space has major advantages • Stable - not rotating like Earth surface • No Gravity – Large Lightweight Structures • Large Diameters -- formation flying • Very Long Baselines – formation flying • Reduces pointing problem -- formation flying

  11. Thin Lens Behavior As a thin lens wobbles, the image in space does not move Position on the detector changes only because the detector moves

  12. Formation Flying If detector is on a separate craft, then a wobble in the lens has no effect on the image. But motion of detector relative to Line of Sight (red) does! Much easier than stabilizing array.

  13. Let’s Look at Some Multiple Craft Observatories

  14. Constellation-X Grouping of similar craft to increase area. Can only be of use in a low noise application like x-ray astronomy.

  15. New Worlds Observer External Occulter Large Distance but Loose Formation

  16. Stellar Imager Dilute Aperture Telescope

  17. MAXIM Dilute aperture telescope

  18. TPF-I Dilute aperture (nulling) telescope

  19. LISA Complete break with telescope tradition But gee! It’s gravity waves. What do you expect?

  20. Trend in Multiples • Gang together • Save some money • Dilute aperture telescopes • Driven by resolution • Formation fly to optical tolerances • They’re gonna be expensive! • Special Applications • LISA for gravity waves • New Worlds for contrast enhancement

  21. New Worlds Observer

  22. Planet JWST NWD Starshade Target Star Occulter Diagram • Telescope big enough to collect enough light from planet • Occulter big enough to block star • Want low transmission on axis and high transmission off axis • Telescope far enough back to have a properly small IWA • No outer working angle: View entire system at once

  23. Big Sheet of Specially Shaped Plastic can suppress diffraction

  24. Performance(with circularly symmetric apodization) A 50m diameter occulter at 50,000km will reveal Earths at 10pc a=b=12.5m n=6 F=50,000km

  25. Shadow of 16 Petal Mask Log Linear

  26. Simulated Solar System

  27. Image of Solar System with 4m Telescope Uranus Galaxies Zodiacal Light Jupiter Saturn Neptune 10 arcseconds

  28. H2O O2 Spectroscopy • R > 100 spectroscopy will distinguish terrestrial atmospheres from Jovian with modeling CH4 NH3

  29. Photometry Calculated Photometry of Cloudless Earth as it Rotates It Should Be Possible to Detect Oceans and Continents!

  30. 1.5m Telescope

  31. 2.4m Telescope

  32. 4m Telescope

  33. 10m Telescope

  34. 1.5m Telescope

  35. 2.4m Telescope

  36. 4m Telescope

  37. Conclusion Multiple Spacecraft Observatories are inevitable They uniquely enable fundamental new science. They are being developed now. 2020 Observatories Simpler applications likely to go first while the astronomy community completes its large telescope imperative.

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