About us

Manoa Astronomical Technologies (MAT) is a Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) formed in 2015 with a focus on precision engineering for telescopes and astronomical instruments. The goal of VIPs is to engage undergraduates of all levels with graduate students and a faculty mentor to foster in-depth project-based learning. For the 2022-2023 academic year, the MAT team is working to develop a primary cell to hold a 24-inch mirror.  The developed primary cell will be the foundation for building a new model telescope.

Mission Statement

Team MAT plans to chart a new frontier of telescope technologies by creating the next iteration of the Pioneer telescope, which will be able to see farther than the previous telescope, Pioneer 1B. It will use a larger 24-inch mirror instead of the 12-inch mirror used in the 1A and 1B telescopes. This year’s work will focus on creating a mirror cell mount to hold the mirror and prevent deformation. MAT will reach its objectives by May 2023.

Project Overview

The primary mounting cell is a part of the telescope tube assembly, where the optical system is housed. The mirror is firmly held by the primary cell at the center of the tube, where the primary cell will allow adjustments to be made so that the mirror can be properly collimated.  To have a properly collimated mirror, the adjustments made to the mount need to resist deformation.  In a gravity field, the mirror undergoes minute deformations that cause optical aberrations which lead to distorted imagery from the reflected mirror image. The mount that the MAT team will develop will allow for tip-tilt adjustments so that any deformations caused by gravity can be counteracted. Deformations will be examined using Finite Element Analysis in the Altair Simsolid program. Although this project mainly benefits people in the field of astronomy, the MAT team would also like to make the mount accessible to extendable users.  

For a complete list of requirements the primary cell should meet, see: Functional Requirements under the Project tab.

Left to right: Alexander Meneses, Ty Wakabayashi, Israel Sagapolutele, Sean Santiago

Project

The MAT team expects to create a primary mirror mount cell.  The cell shall constrain the mirror in its 6 degrees of freedom, and keep deformations, imposed by the mount onto the mirror, under the threshold of lambda/10.  Pioneer 01-A and Pioneer 01-B from previous MAT teams use a 12 inch mirror.  By using a 24 inch mirror, more light can be collected, resulting in producing an image with a higher resolution.  This project is purely mechanical, so the team will be using previously learned mechanical engineering concepts, and applying it to the development of the mount.  The team will also learn new techniques in finite element analysis and precision engineering that they can apply in real engineering scenarios.  The completion of the primary mounting cell is the starting point of a new telescope model.  This will benefit the university and the Institute of Astronomy, as it will push forward space exploration.

The objectives set by the team are as follows:

  • The MAT team shall design a primary mirror cell for a 24-inch mirror
  • The primary mirror mount cell shall be a starting point for future telescope modeling projects 
  • The mirror cell shall also be accessible for extendable users
  • The continuity within the MAT drive shall be updated for future years

Subsystems

Mechanical Subsystem

The mechanical subsystem will be concerned with the whiffletree base supports and the mirror clamps that constrain the mirror in the +Z axis.  The whiffletree is able to collimate the 9 support holes on the mirror into 3 support points.  The 3 support points will each be positioned on top of ball bearing, which are then laid on to a kinematic coupling.  A kinematic coupling constricts all six degrees of freedom without overconstraining any points.  Each ball bearing will be positioned in a V-groove that has 2 points of contact.  In total, the whiffletree can adjust itself to hold the mirror in its 9 support points, while constraining the mirror in its 6 degrees of freedom.  Although the mirror will be constrained in the -Z axis due to gravity, there would be nothing preventing it from translating in the +Z direction.  The mirror clamps will prevent that by imposing a force in the -Z axis, along with gravity.  As the mirror tilts from zenith, gravity will no longer be normal (perpendicular) to the mirror’s surface.  When the mirror is tilted to its side, which is tangential to the earth’s surface, the mirror clamps will prevent the mirror from falling out of the primary cell.  Pictured below are the isolated views of the whiffletree and mirror clamps.

Structural Subsystem

The structural subsystem consists of the housing structure for the mechanical subsystem components and the mirror itself.  The mirror in possession is 24 inches in diameter and approximately 40 pounds in weight.  Even though the structure would need to hold the weight of all components, it would also need to withstand any imposed moments.  Pictured below is the isolated view of the housing structure.

Functional Requirements

Functional Requirements

Success Criteria

Requirements

The primary cell shall hold the mirror securely

The mirror can not tilt +/- 0.1 degrees within the primary cell when the primary cell moves in the tip or tilt direction (x-axis rotation or y-axis rotation)

The primary cell shall be portable so future users can transport mirror cell to different locations with ease

The primary cell needs to fit in a standard elevator of 36-inches wide x 48-inches deep to transport out of Holmes hall

The primary cell needs to fit in the back of a standard pickup truck, which is approximately 175-inches long x 66- inches wide

A group of 2-3 users need to carry a total weight approximately 80 pounds

The primary cell shall be durable & flexible to resist deformations while rotating throughout six degrees of freedom in a gravity field

Deformations on the mirror will be kept under the set threshold of  visible light wavelength/10 (kept under 40 nm to 70 nm)

The primary cell shall be reusable so users do not have to worry about limited uses

Due to primary mirror aluminized coating lasting approximately 3-5 years, the mount needs to be able to handle being used approximately 2 times a month, for a maximum of 120 uses.

Constraints

Constraints

Time

Must be completed by May 2023

Material

Borosilicate glass

Focal Length

83.25” focal length

Weight

Approximately 40 lbs

Diameter

24.25″ mirror

Thickness of glass

0.73″ thick for float glass

Height of mirror

3.47″ thick

Mounting Points

Nine mounting points

Schedule Overview

Time Status

At the time of this website creation, the team is close to finalizing their design for the primary mirror cell.  Ordering will begin as soon as a final design has been selected and fabrication of the primary cell will begin in January.

Finance Overview

Top-level system budget overview can be seen from the figures below

Currently, MAT is funded for $2,000 via funding granted by the College of Engineering.  Attempts to contact IfA will be made in the near future.  Different fundraising ideas have been discussed and MAT will continue to carry out fundraising in early 2023.

Interested in Donating?

Contact our Financial Manager: tywakaba@hawaii.edu, Ty Wakabayashi

Contact Information

Project Manager: ias@hawaii.edu, Israel Sagapolutele

Financial Manager: tywakaba@hawaii.edu, Ty Wakabayashi