Modular assembled space telescope

We present a new approach to building a modular segmented space telescope that greatly leverages the heritage of the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope. The modular design in which mirror segments are assembled into identical panels allows for economies of scale and for efficient space assembly that make a 20-m aperture approach cost effective. This assembly approach can leverage NASA's future capabilities and has the power to excite the public's imagination. We discuss the science drivers, basic architecture, technology, and leveraged NASA infrastructure, concluding with a proposed plan for going forward. 1 Introduction Space telescopes provide unique and important vantage points to study the universe free from the blur, thermal background and absorption of the earth's atmosphere. As with all telescopes, larger space telescope apertures improve the resolution and sensitivity and thus are critical to enabling new capabilities. An historic example of the power of space telescopes is provided by images from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). HST's resolution over a large field of view was a major step beyond ground capabilities and opened up a wealth of new scientific discoveries. Picking up from Hubble, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will provide a major increase in collecting area and sensitivity and extend the wavelength range into the near-and mid-infrared while maintaining HST's resolution, thus laying the groundwork for a large array of new science. Deployment of JWST at the Sun-Earth L2 libration point (SEL2) further enhances its performance by minimizing the influences of the Earth-Moon system, particularly thermal effects and stray light intrusion. Looking beyond JWST, we propose an observatory incorporating a new level of modularity that exploits economies of scale in both mirrors and structure to enable a new class of much larger space telescopes that can be cost effective and readily assembled in space. Modularity can provide a foundation for 20-m and larger apertures, unleashing another major step in scientific observation capabilities and further capitalizing upon the observational benefits of an SEL2 orbital deployment. This new approach leverages the knowledge and experience gained in servicing HST, designing and building the segmented and alignable JWST telescope, and in building and maintaining the International Space Station (ISS). The level of modularity proposed is not only ideal for space assembly but also enables a more cost-effective solution