Development of a star tracker for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope

被引：19

作者：

Booth, JA ^{[1
]}

Ray, FB ^{[1
]}

Porter, DS ^{[1
]}

机构：

[1] Univ Texas, Mcdonald Observ, Austin, TX 78712 USA

来源：

TELESCOPE CONTROL SYSTEMS III | 1998年 / 3351卷

关键词：

star tracker; pointing; tracking; guiding; precision motion control; hexapod; Stewart platform; prime focus instrumentation;

D O I：

10.1117/12.308801

中图分类号：

P1 [天文学];

学科分类号：

0704 ;

摘要：

A large prime-focus robotic star tracking device has been designed and constructed and is now undergoing commissioning atop the 9.2-meter Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) at McDonald Observatory in West Texas. The novel, cost-effective tracker represents a major departure in the way very large astronomical telescopes are controlled in pointing, tracking, and guiding. The tracker development and design implementation included detailed structural analysis, the application of minimum constraint kinematic design to a large gantry-type motion control system, and the unique application of a large precision hexapod (Stewart platform) to solve the dynamic tilting and focus motion problems. Challenging fabrication, test, and on-telescope assembly problems were overcome. Performance data of the completed device demonstrate that the tracker design and implementation efforts were successful.

引用

页码：298 / 309

页数：12