From: rarachel@prism.poly.edu (Arsen Ray Arachelian)
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 94 10:32:44 PDT
To: pls@crl.com (Paul Schauble)
Subject: Re: CU Crypto Session Sat
In-Reply-To: <Pine.3.87.9404261938.A174-0100000@crl.crl.com>
Message-ID: <9404271720.AA02143@prism.poly.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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<<What do you get if you assume the largest mirror that can fit in the
shuttle cargo bay?>>

Mirrors could be sectional.  Many mirrors can be joined together into a much
larger mirror.  Take a look at those put it together yourself model kits.
Often the box is much smaller than the finished object.  The mirror size is
limited by the cargo bay, but it doesn't have to fit in the cargo bay when
it is assembled.  Consequently  There could be more than one trip to
catch the satelite and add more mirror segments to it.  (Although this w
would be very hard to accomplish, it isn't impossible...  Take a pice of
paper. Draw a circle.  Draw another circle around it, etc.)  Of course the
camera would have to be built with the maximum mirror circumfrence/area in
mind, but it can be done.

Assuming that the satelite isn't too likely to get hit by debris, the
mirror fragments could be made from some thin, flexible, light material
so that many fragments can be carried out in space..  say some form of
aluminum? or plastic?

Anyone know about this?