Lessons we learned designing and building the Chandra telescope

Jonathan Arenberg; Gary Matthews; C. Atkinson; L. Cohen; C. Golisano; K. Havey; K. Hefner; C. Jones; J. Kegley; P. Knollenberg; T. Lavoie; J. Oliver; P. Plucinsky; H. Tananbaum; S. Texter; M. C. Weisskopf

doi:10.1117/12.2055515

24 July 2014 Lessons we learned designing and building the Chandra telescope

Jonathan Arenberg, Gary Matthews, C. Atkinson, L. Cohen, C. Golisano, K. Havey, K. Hefner, C. Jones, J. Kegley, P. Knollenberg, T. Lavoie, J. Oliver, P. Plucinsky, H. Tananbaum, S. Texter, M. C. Weisskopf

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9144, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray; 91440Q (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2055515
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2014, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

Abstract

2014 marks the crystal (15^th) anniversary of the launch of the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which began its existence as the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF). This paper offers some of the major lessons learned by some of the key members of the Chandra Telescope team. We offer some of the lessons gleaned from our experiences developing, designing, building and testing the telescope and its subsystems, with 15 years of hindsight. Among the topics to be discussed are the early developmental tests, known as VETA-I and VETA-II, requirements derivation, the impact of late requirements and reflection on the conservatism in the design process.

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Jonathan Arenberg, Gary Matthews, C. Atkinson, L. Cohen, C. Golisano, K. Havey, K. Hefner, C. Jones, J. Kegley, P. Knollenberg, T. Lavoie, J. Oliver, P. Plucinsky, H. Tananbaum, S. Texter, and M. C. Weisskopf "Lessons we learned designing and building the Chandra telescope", Proc. SPIE 9144, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 91440Q (24 July 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2055515

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