Mirrors for Space Telescopes: Degradation Issues

Garoli, Denis; Marcos, Luis Rodríguez-de; Larruquert, Juan I.; Corso, Alain Jody; Zaccaria, Remo Proietti; Pelizzo, Maria Guglielmina

doi:10.20944/preprints202010.0141.v1

Cited by 13 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 113 publications

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“…Depending on energy, ions are expected to implant at different depth in the materials, potentially causing serious damages in the lightsail. A collection of experiments carried out on virgin and protected mirrors have been reported [51][52][53][54][55][56][57] , even though much work still needs to be done to model and prove lightsail hardness.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multilayers for directed energy accelerated lightsails

et al. 2022

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A lightsail accelerated via directed energy is a candidate technology to send a probe into the deep space in a time period compatible with human life. The light emitted by a ground-based large-aperture phased laser array is directed onto the lightsail to produce a thrust by transferring the momentum of the incident photons. Here we demonstrate that optimized multilayer structures allow ultralight spacecraft being accelerated by laser radiation pressure up to 20% of the light velocity, and eventually even above, as long as a compromise between efficiency and weight is achieved. Layer materials are selected to provide high reflectance in the Doppler-shifted laser wavelength range as well as high emissivity in the infrared, this last characteristic being required to survive to the temperature increase during the acceleration phase.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multilayers for directed energy accelerated lightsails

et al. 2022

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“…Few materials are suitable for optimising the coating in the selected spectral range. Their deposition technology and stability in space environment over time still represent a technological challenge 111 , so a specific development project needs to be carried out. Other modifications of the UVC filter geometry, such as length, diameter and shape, would also result in increased performance through the increase of turbulence and thus the air residence time.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solar Ultraviolet Light Collector for Germicidal Irradiation on the Moon

Lombini¹,

Schreiber²,

Albertini³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Prolonged human-crewed missions on the Moon are foreseen as a gateway for Mars and asteroid colonisation in the next decades. Health risks related to long-time permanence in space have been partially investigated. Hazards due to airborne biological contaminants are possible. A possible way to perform pathogens' inactivation is by employing the shortest wavelength range of Solar ultraviolet radiation, the so-called germicidal range. On Earth, it is totally absorbed by the atmosphere and does not reach the surface. In space, such UV solar component is present and effective germicidal irradiation for airborne pathogens' inactivation can be achieved inside habitable outposts through a combination of highly reflective internal coating and optimised geometry of the air ducts. The Solar Ultraviolet Light Collector for Germicidal Irradiation on the Moon is a project whose aim is to collect Ultraviolet solar radiation and use it as a source to sanitise the re-circulating air of the human outposts. The most favourable positions where to place these collectors are over the peaks at the Moon's poles, which have the peculiarity of being exposed to solar radiation most of the time. On August 2022, NASA communicated to have identified 13 candidate landing regions near the lunar South Pole for Artemis missions. Another advantage of the Moon is its low inclination to the ecliptic, which maintains the Sun’s apparent altitude inside a reduced angular range. For this reason, Ultraviolet solar radiation can be collected through a simplified Sun's tracking collector or even a static collector and used to sanitise the recycled air. Fluid-dynamic and optical simulations have been performed to support the proposed idea. The expected inactivation rates for some airborne pathogens, either common or found on the International Space Station, are reported and compared with the proposed device efficiency. The results show that it is possible to use Ultraviolet solar radiation directly for air sanitation inside the lunar outposts and deliver a healthy living environment to the astronauts.

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“…Depending on energy, ions are expected to implant at different depth in the materials, potentially causing serious damages in the lightsail. A collection of experiments carried out on virgin and protected mirrors have been reported [36,37,38,39,40,41,42], even though much work still needs to be done to model and prove lightsail hardness.…”

Section: Discussion and Fabrication Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Directed Energy Accelerated Lightsails

Santi¹,

Favaro²,

Corso³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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A lightsail accelerated via directed energy is a candidate technology to send a probe into the deep space in a time period compatible with human life. The light emitted by a ground-based large-aperture phased laser array is directed onto the lightsail to produce a thrust by transferring the momentum of the incident photons. To achieve high efficiency propulsion, the lightsail must be characterized by extremely low mass, high reflectance and minimal absorption in the Doppler-shifted laser wavelength range, while high emissivity in the infrared is required for thermal management. Optimized multilayer structures allow ultralight spacecraft being accelerated by laser radiation pressure up to 20% of the light velocity, and eventually even above, as long as a compromise between efficiency and weight is achieved. Key aspect is the ability to survive to the temperature increase during the acceleration phase, which can be fateful for the system.

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Mirrors for Space Telescopes: Degradation Issues

Cited by 13 publications

References 113 publications

Multilayers for directed energy accelerated lightsails

Multilayers for directed energy accelerated lightsails

Solar Ultraviolet Light Collector for Germicidal Irradiation on the Moon

Directed Energy Accelerated Lightsails

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