Identification and propagation of probabilistic uncertainties for flexible space structures

Future spaceborne astronomy missions will require telescopes with increasingly greater resolving power, driving the dimensions of the optics to a significant size. Fully integrated observatory verification becomes problematic as the systems approach or exceed the size of the test facilities required to control environmental factors (temperature, vibration, etc). Such tests also require extremely precise test optics. Under such conditions, system verification will start to rely on analytical propagation of ground test data to in-situ performance. Reliable analytical predictions must be grounded in a thorough characterization of system uncertainty. A methodology is proposed to experimentally characterize uncertainty using component test data and integrated system models. The approach relies on uncertainty propagation techniques to identify critical uncertainties and bound the resulting performance predictions, and test data (on the component, subsystem, and if possible system levels) to confirm probabilistic models. The methodology is demonstrated on the Mid-Deck Active Control Experiment (MACE), an articulated flexible test article.