Electronic speckle pattern interferometric testing of JWST primary mirror segment assembly

摘要

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Primary Mirror Segment Assembly (PMSA) was required to meet NASA Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 06 requirements in the summer of 2006. These TRL06 requirements included verifying all mirror technology systems level readiness in simulated end-to-end operating conditions. In order to support the aggressive development and technology readiness schedule for the JWST Primary Mirror Segment Assembly (PMSA), a novel approach was implemented to verify the nanometer surface figure distortion effects on an in-process non-polished beryllium mirror surface. At the time that the TRL06 requirements needed to be met, a polished mirror segment had not yet been produced that could have utilized the baselined interferometric optical test station. The only JWST mirror segment available was a finished machined segment with an acid-etched optical surface. Therefore an Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometer (ESPI) was used in coordination with additional metrology techniques to perform interferometric level optical testing on a non-optical surface. An accelerated, rigorous certification program was quickly developed for the ESPI to be used with the unfinished optical surface of the primary mirror segment. The ESPI was quickly implemented into the PMSA test program and optical testing was very successful in quantifying the nanometer level surface figure deformation changes in the PMSA due to assembly, thermal cycling, vibration, and acoustic testing. As a result of the successful testing, the PMSA passed all NASA TRL06 readiness requirements.