SPACE TELESCOPES

摘要

Scientists want to deploy large telescopes into space to probe further into the nature of the universe, explains Diego Rodriguez, director of Sener's space department, but they're constrained by the size of the satellites. The ideal telescope would need to be a long, stiff structure, he points out, "and there's limited room in the launcher... With traditional technology, you can only use a structure that can be retracted and deployed." A solution to such a challenge is a strategy known as formation flying, where two satellites would be launched and would then fly together; one might house, for instance, the lens of a telescope, and the other its detector.