Computer-based telescope

Among the trends of the space-telescope engineering, a considerable attention is paid nowadays to telescopes with linear and nonlinear correction of image distortions and to the lightweight large-clear-aperture primary mirrors (PM). These studies, on the one side, provide a deeper insight into operational characteristics of these telescopes and, on the other, allow us to reveal their limitations and drawbacks, which stimulates us to consider alternative ways of getting images of high quality and thus to create a basis for designing high-resolution telescopes of the next generation. An alternative to the analog process of correction is evidently a digital process. In this paper, we briefly discuss advantages and drawbacks of telescopes with the nonlinear-optical (analog) correction and analyze a possible design of a space telescope with a 'pure' digital correction of image distortions, caused by the lightweight membrane primary mirror of poor quality.