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The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) and the Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) of the JWST require various mechanisms for positioning optical elements in cryo-vacuum environment (7K resp. 35K): Wheels for exchanging filters, gratings and prisms, a flip mirror for switching between the sky and internal calibration sources and a linear actuator for refocusing purposes will have to be developed. In order to fulfill the stringent requirements of the mission, comprising to survive a warm ARIANE 5 launch, to guarantee high accuracy positioning in the cryovacuum with minimal power dissipation, to be operational with high reliability during 10 years of lifetime and to be testable under various environmental conditions, we propose a low cost and low schedule risk approach, based on the successful flight experience and qualification heritage from ESA's infrared missions ISO and HERSCHEL.

HERSCHEL's 3.5 m primary mirror will be passively cooled to T ~ 80 K in the L2 orbit. In order to reduce the effects of the remaining high thermal background on the sensitive far infrared detectors (60..210 µm), a focal plane chopper is a vital element in the entrance optics of the imaging and spectroscopic instrument PACS. A gold coated 32 × 26 mm 2 plane mirror, suspended by two flexural pivots and driven by a linear motor, allows for precise square wave chopping with up to 9° throw at a frequency 10 Hz with a position accuracy of 1 arcmin. The power required at T ~ 4 K is about 1 mW. The chopper has undergone an extensive qualification programme, including 650 million cold chop throws, 15 cold-warm-cold thermal cycles, 3-axis 26 G-vibration at T~4 K etc. Five models were built and thoroughly tested; the flight model of the chopper is now integrated into the flight model of PACS, ready for the HERSCHEL/PLANCK launch in 2008 by an ARIANE5 rocket and the following 5-year mission.

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