Sub Arc Second Sensor Calibration

摘要

A feasibility study was performed for a subarcsecond sensor calibration system capable of performing geometrical calibrations on star and Sun sensors of accuracy of 1 milliarcsecond over + or - 1 arcsecond and 10 milliarcseconds over + or - 1 arcdegree, respectively. The realization of a calibration system consistent to the specified accuracy is meaningful only if the sensors to be calibrated are substantially insensitive to a rotationally symmetrical curvature of the wavefront output from the calibration system. The monitor subsystems required can be implemented by means of commercially available laser interferometers and autocollinators. The actuators required for positioning of the system components can be implemented by integrating commercially available piezoelectric actuators to custom-made electric motor endless screw actuators. The system should be isolated to external mechanical noise by a stack of two antivibration tables. Moreover, it is necessary to operate the system in a vacuum of 0.00001 atmosphere to avoid beam propagation errors induced by the atmosphere. The system should be computer controlled to optimize the calibration operations against internal mechanical noise, while the typical sensor scanning speed should not exceed 10 scans/second.