Active damping of the SOFIA Telescope assembly
2012
The NASA/DLR Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) employs a 2.5-meter reflector telescope in
a Boeing 747SP. The telescope is housed in an open cavity and is subjected to aeroacoustic and inertial disturbances in
flight. To meet pointing requirements, SOFIA must achieve a pointing stability of approximately 0.5 arcseconds RMS.
An active damping control system is being developed for SOFIA to reduce image jitter and image degradation due to
resonance of the telescope assembly. Our paper discusses the history of the active damping design for SOFIA, from
early concepts to the current implementation which has recently completed a ground and flight testing for proof-of-concept.
We describe some milestones in the analysis and testing of the telescope assembly which guided the
development of the vibration control system. The control synthesis approach and current implementation of the active
damping control system is presented. Finally, we summarize the performance observed in early flight tests and the steps
that are currently foreseen to completing the development of this system.
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