2 space telescope designs will battle it out to become NASA's next cosmic imager

[Admin]

Whichever mission NASA selects to image the cosmos next should launch by 2032. Here are the two contenders.

2 space telescope designs will battle it out to become NASA's next cosmic imager : Read more

 

[Unclear Engineer]

It is a shame that we are not going to fund both of these missions.

 

[fj.torres]

Hopefully they'll design with STARSHIP in mind.
It should save complexity and money.

 

[Unclear Engineer]

In addition, hopefully they will be designed for final assembly and testing in LEO before being sent to their mission locations. That would allow for substantially increased dimensions without the complexity of auto-unfolding mechanisms, which create cost and reliability issues.

 

[skynr13]

In addition, hopefully they will be designed for final assembly and testing in LEO before being sent to their mission locations. That would allow for substantially increased dimensions without the complexity of auto-unfolding mechanisms, which create cost and reliability issues.

But it would also create extra cost trying to assemble them in outer space as well as the reliability of something that wasn't assembled on Earth and can't be reconfigured by hand before use. So, it's a 50/50 proposition there if not worse with trying to assemble and test them in space.

 

[Unclear Engineer]

I don't think it is close to 50%-50%.

The ability to put prefab pieces into place in space and check that the full assembly functions properly before sending it to its mission location avoids all sorts of complexity for deploying things like solar panels, solar thermal shields, and mirrors that need to be in perfect alignment after unfolding from the shape needed to fit inside a launch fairing.

I think it would be both cheaper and more reliable for putting large telescopes into space.

Remember, we aren't talking about assembly from small parts - we are talking about fitting together modules whose fit and function have already been tested on Earth, while avoiding the issues with having to have that happen automatically from a folded condition with no chance for correction is something hangs up for any reason.

Yes, SpaceX StarShip will have much larger launch fairings. But, we are still going to want even larger telescopes.

 

[skynr13]

I don't think it is close to 50%-50%.

The ability to put prefab pieces into place in space and check that the full assembly functions properly before sending it to its mission location avoids all sorts of complexity for deploying things like solar panels, solar thermal shields, and mirrors that need to be in perfect alignment after unfolding from the shape needed to fit inside a launch fairing.

I think it would be both cheaper and more reliable for putting large telescopes into space.

Remember, we aren't talking about assembly from small parts - we are talking about fitting together modules whose fit and function have already been tested on Earth, while avoiding the issues with having to have that happen automatically from a folded condition with no chance for correction is something hangs up for any reason.

Yes, SpaceX StarShip will have much larger launch fairings. But, we are still going to want even larger telescopes.

With today's solar panels that unfurl they'd be no problem with being attached before launch. The shields and mirrors I don't know. But if they have to be assembled in space, in order to do that you'd need a robot to be sent up with it and that is what I was thinking would be the extra cost. I can't wait for Starship to be operational!

 

[Unclear Engineer]

You don't need robots to do LEO assembly tasks - we can already put humans there, and more easily as more orbital stations are developed along with various human launch capabilities.

 

[skynr13]

You don't need robots to do LEO assembly tasks - we can already put humans there, and more easily as more orbital stations are developed along with various human launch capabilities.

Ok, so you mean send up a human or humans to assemble the satellite or telescope. But every time humans launch into space there is the risk of loss of life and that is probably why they assemble these things on the ground.

 

[Unclear Engineer]

Times are changing. LEO is about to become more populated with various human habitats with various missions. One of which will be making things in space. People are already doing "space walks" to fabricate things on the outside of the ISS. But, they are using antiquated EVA suits. Private companies are already making better suits for future projects.

 

[George²]

Times are changing. LEO is about to become more populated with various human habitats with various missions. One of which will be making things in space. People are already doing "space walks" to fabricate things on the outside of the ISS. But, they are using antiquated EVA suits. Private companies are already making better suits for future projects.

Hmm, you seem to have missed article for how many satellites and mostly debris there are already in low and medium orbit. It is dangerous to live in these orbits. And billionaires usually don't like to risk their lives.

 

[Unclear Engineer]

We can speculate all we want, but the actual decision belongs to the people who choose to design and fabricate the next generations of space hardware.

My bet is that they will choose to do it for the lowest cost that is compatible with acceptable probability for mission success. And, the cost of programs that are unnecessarily complex comes from the extra personnel costs for the long design, fabrication and testing processes required for the additional complexity. That was certainly true for the Webb telescope, which was long delayed. And, part of that delay was waiting for a rocket with a large enough payload fairing and enough reliability - which eventually turned out to be the Arian launch vehicle. Still, while on its way to its mission location, there was much nail-biting as it automatically assembled itself into mission-ready configuration.

The LEO assembly option bypasses much of the complexity for getting it into mission-ready configuration, because it can be launched in multiple segments that each can fit into available launch vehicle fairings and be easily assembled once of the atmosphere. And, it can be tested in its final mission configuration before being sent to its mission location - with repair if needed while still accessible in LEO.

BTW, "billionaires" are not the ones who are going to be doing that work.

But, there are some who intend to go into space. And Jared Isaacman has already done it, including going out into the Van Allen Radiation Belt and doing EVA. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Isaacman .