Manufacture of a 2-m mirror with a glass membrane facesheet and active rigid support

A 2-m diameter mirror is being manufactured as a demonstration for NASA's Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST). This mirror meets the challenging requirements of cryogenic operation and very low mass using an active control system. The mirror system consists of an aluminized glass membrane, 2 mm thick. This membrane is supported and controlled based on wavefront measurements with 169 remotely driven actuators. The system rigidity is provided by a lightweight carbon fiber composite structure. This entire mirror system, 2 meters across weighs less than 40 kg, and will demonstrate 20 nm surface quality in a cryogenic test facility at 35 K.