Thermo-opto-Mechanical Analysis of a Cubesat Lens Mount

A potential cubesat payload for low resolution study of planet Earth from space is an optical imaging system. Due to budget, space, and time constraints, commercial photographic lenses of the double Gauss type are prime candidates for limited duration cubesat optics. However, photographic objectives are not designed to operate in a space environment and modifications are usually necessary. One method of improving optical performance of the objective over large temperature variations is by replacing the stock lens mount with a different material. This paper describes the thermoopto-mechanical analysis of several lens mount materials for a double Gauss imaging system suitable for a cubesat.