Shape Control of Deployable Membrane Mirrors

Currently the Hubble Space Telescope is able to look further into the universe than was previously possible with conventional earth-based telescopes. Since launching of large telescopes is limited by the weight and size constraints of the shuttle cargo bay, alternate telescope designs must be developed to surpass current capabilities. One possible approach is to form large telescope primary mirrors from membrane materials and provide active control to maintain the proper shape. This paper discusses results from recent research into electron gun shape control of a piezoelectric film bimorph mirror. Observations on the electron energy level/voltage control responses and the glue layer interactions are discussed.