Building Huge Telescopes in Space Using Robots

Astronomy’s Future Will Be Built: New Capabilities to Assemble in Space the Largest Observatories. Scientific performance of telescopes depend strongly upon the observatory’s aperture, its capability to collect faint light. Eventually, the challenging goals of astronomers will require telescope mirrors larger than can be deployed in space without the capability to assemble them, either with astronauts or with robots, enabled by the decreasing cost of commercial launch vehicles. Join Tony Darnell as he discusses the promise, the challenges, and the capabilities being assessed to assemble the largest future space observatories with Drs. Nicholas Siegler (NASA JPL), Bradley Peterson (OSU/STScI) and Gordon Roesler (Robots in Space LLC). Come hear about a new NASA-chartered study that is looking into this potentially enabling capability. Future in Space Hangouts are endorsed by the American Astronomical Society and the American Astronautical Society.