Optimizing design and manufacturability of reduced-weight mirrors for astronomy and space applications

The following are the most important phases in the development and optimization of ultralightweight mirrors: materials selection, determination of the type of cells to be used in the weight-reduction structure, and determining the parameters of these cells. Optimizing the mirror design via a calculation using the finite-element method enables us to optimize the parameters of the cells used in the weight-reduction structure in order to achieve maximum structural rigidity at minimum mass. The variable parameters are as follows: Thickness of working surface, size and shape of cells in the weight-reduction structure, and rib thickness.