Pre-launch testing and evaluation of typical mirror coatings for space optical instruments

James B. Heaney; Lonny R. Kauder; Scott C. Freese; Manuel A. Quijada

doi:10.1117/12.964693

15 October 2012 Pre-launch testing and evaluation of typical mirror coatings for space optical instruments

James B. Heaney, Lonny R. Kauder, Scott C. Freese, Manuel A. Quijada

Proceedings Volume 8492, Optical System Contamination: Effects, Measurements, and Control 2012; 849206 (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.964693
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2012, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Pre-launch acceptance testing and evaluation of mirrors coated for use in space are almost never performed on the actual flight mirror. Smaller witness mirrors, coated at the same time as the flight component, are used as test proxies for the spaceflight component. The intent of the acceptance testing is generally aimed at identifying any mirror surface quality problems before the larger mirror experiences qualification testing that usually occurs at the assembled instrument level when recovery from a previously undetected flaw can be costly. Only in rare cases will the testing of a smaller proxy sample reveal a mirror’s substrate structural flaws. This presentation will discuss details associated with pre-launch radiation sensitivity and cryogenic acceptance testing of the commonly used mirror reflector coatings aboard space optical instruments. The sufficiency of reflectance and transmittance measurements as the primary diagnostic tool for evaluating mirror coating quality, and as a predictor of on-orbit performance, will be emphasized with reference to specific space missions.

Citation Download Citation

James B. Heaney, Lonny R. Kauder, Scott C. Freese, and Manuel A. Quijada "Pre-launch testing and evaluation of typical mirror coatings for space optical instruments", Proc. SPIE 8492, Optical System Contamination: Effects, Measurements, and Control 2012, 849206 (15 October 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.964693

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KEYWORDS

Mirrors

Reflectivity

Silver

Gold

Silica

Transmittance

Aluminum

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