300 likes | 441 Views
Millennium Telescope. Meeting 2 Requirements and Design Goals. Requirements. Portability. The telescope unlikely to be used in dome or on balcony- so must be portable. This also implies it must be de-mountable and easily assembled. Mirror.
E N D
Millennium Telescope Meeting 2 Requirements and Design Goals
Portability • The telescope unlikely to be used in dome or on balcony- so must be portable. This also implies it must be de-mountable and easily assembled.
Mirror • The mirror spec is fixed; the cell must be designed to support the 'thin' 19" mirror without significantly degrading optical performance.
Height • Primarily fixed by mirror focal length and diameter- otherwise the lower the better, minimises the climb up a ladder. Will be approx 7 feet.
Footprint • The disassembled telescope should fit into a hatchback- e.g. Golf or Focus. • Must be easily stored at OASI e.g. in storage area at bottom of dome steps.
Weight • All de-mounted components should be capable of unaided lifting and manoeuvring by two (unexceptional) persons; imposes an upper limit of about 60 pounds per component.
Open Structure • Avoids fans and promotes rapid cooling of the primary. Less prone to wind vibration. Minimises weight.
Struts/Truss-Tubes • Short enough to fit into a hatchback; look into multi-section struts; struts cannot exceed a certain length (subject to design). • Can we use 6 struts rather than 8; this simplifies telescope balance and reduces weight?
Stiffness • Minimise flexure with rigid structures.
Rocker/Mirror Box • Rocker may be more elegant, simpler to make and achieve weight targets - but design is more speculative. • Mirror box is proven design but much heavier- and may not meet design requirements.
Secondary Cage • Keep as light as possible- consistent with mechanical rigidity. • Design should consider (optically) best available eyepieces- probably 2". • Secondary mirror pre-alignment should be designed-in. • Design needs to be safe for transportation.
Optical System • Mechanical assembly must be repeatable such that telescope is approximately pre-aligned. • Telescope must be capable of easy remote-site fine-alignment.
Baffling • Upper cage and primary mirror baffles need to be de-mountable and easily installed.
Drive System • Although initially envisioned to be manually tracking, it would be highly desirable to be capable of upgrading to automatic tracking, at a later date.
Economy of Materials • Minimise costs by keeping material weight down. • Use plywood + steel where possible and standard components if available.
Economy of Machining • Design as many non-standard components as possible that can be produced "in-house". Consider use of plywood, for rocker or mirror box, etc; and Martin's metal working expertise for other components.
Gary Wolanski, USA16” F/5 Dobsonian, 40 Pound, all-metal construction
Gary Wolanski, USA16” F/5 Dobsonian, 40 Pound, all-metal construction
Gary Wolanski, USA16” F/5 Dobsonian, 40 Pound, all-metal construction
Charlie Wicks, USA20” F/4.5 Dobsonian - all-metal construction
Jaques Civetta, France465mm Dobsonian, fibreglass construction
Michael Koch, Germany8” F/4 “Folding Ruler” Airline Travel Scope