—FUTURE OF SPACE ASTRONOMY IN CANADA
Space Astronomy Activities at ABBFrederic Grandmont, ABB, IAMANovember 2018
—Current Astronomy Projects
November 7, 2018 Slide 2
WFIRST - IFS SPICA FTS Core CASTOR Optical Chain EPPE Payload
—SPICA Scan Mechanism
November 7, 2018 Slide 3
Technology Spin-off from Darwin Delay Line
—SPICA
November 7, 2018 Slide 4
Magnetic Guiding in Zero Gravity
—Magnetic Guiding at 4 Kelvin
November 7, 2018 Slide 5
Pros Cons
• Numerous harness to 4K zone
• How to cool floating mass
• 1G offload system for test
• Vibrations = strong correction current
• Elaborate control electronic (6 servos + redundancy)
• Frictionless allows nm control
• No stroke limitation (6 cm target)
• 0 hold force at any position
Canadian 2012 phase 0 study revealed several technical challenges
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Image removed due to patent application
Proposal to Consortium: Reactionless Stiffness Compensated Mechanism
November 7, 2018 Slide 6
—New Concept Solves:
November 7, 2018 Slide 7
Pros Cons
• Numerous harness to 4K zone
• How to cool floating mass
• 1G offload system for test
• Vibrations = strong correction current
• Elaborate control electronic (6 servos + redundancy)
• Frictionless allows nm control
• No stroke limitation (6 cm target) Ok for 6 cm
• 0 hold force at any positionPassive magnetic arrangement minimizes hold force(~10 x)
2018: Consortium changed SAFARI design to ABB concept
—Stiffness Compensation
November 7, 2018 Slide 8
—Nanometer-Level Light Tight Metrology
November 7, 2018 Slide 9
Retro-reflector
FiberInjector
FiberCirculator
Lasersource
Detector
—TRL Improvement Work to Mission Selection (2021)
November 7, 2018 Slide 10
SPICA SAFARI Improvement still required on:
• Mass
• Power dissipation @ 4K
• Magnetic & laser disturbance to science detector
• Survivability to launch vibration (launch lock?)
• Flight electronic design
• Redundancy vs reliability
• Life testing @ 4K
• …
From demonstration prototype to being ready for FFP costing of flight deliverables
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• Inspire/attract/retain highly qualified staff (cool projects are not only in US or Europe!)
• Infuse new technologies, knowledge & test equipment through the whole supply chain
• Multi-year project brings much needed stability
• Asset for makerting & sales (conveys industrial expertise)
Space Astronomy; the (optical) Industry PerspectiveThe benefits
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• Highly Innovative each time = ++ R&D = prone to cost growth = financially risky if Firm Fixed Price
èSTDPs, Phase 0 and A are critically important to refine cost estimates
• Domestic government market by definition (e.g. Canada-Europe Trade Agreement)
è Export opportunities mainly through other application & diversification (e.g. Earth Obs.)
• Niche equipment often ~10-20 years ahead of civil applications (e.g. CCDs)
• Maintain workforce through mission gaps…
Space Astronomy; the (optical) Industry PerspectiveThe challenges
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November 7, 2018 Slide 13
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QUEBEC, QC CANADA