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The Colaborative focus of four academic departments (Univ. of Kansas Aerospace Engineering, Univ. of Kansas Physics & Astronomy - KU, San Diego State University Astronomy - SDSU and Dartmouth College Astronomy) and a private industry partner (Composite Mirror Applications, Inc. - CMA, Inc.) is a three-year project to develop and test UltraLightweight Technology for Research in Astronomy (ULTRA).
The current MLO 16-inch (0.4-meter) telescope tube assembly with its mirrors installed weighs 225 pounds. The prototype 16-inch ULTRA telescope tube assembly, made of lightweight Graphite Fiber Composites weighs only 22 pounds! The ULTRA Project, funded by the National Science Foundation, will produce an automated 40-inch (1.0-meter) Cassegrain telescope using the same composite technology. The ULTRA Telescope is undergoing the final stages of construction in Tucson, AZ at CMA. It will be integrated with a conventional fork mount manufactured by Astronomical Consultants and Equipment, Inc. - ACE. Installation of ULTRA is now scheduled for mid 2006. ULTRA will be remotely operated over the Internet from both the KU and SDSU campuses.
The University of Kansas is the lead institution for The ULTRA Project.
Follow the liks below to the abstracts of two papers to be presented at the 205th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, January 11, 2005 that describe The ULTRA Project and its goals.
The UltraLightweight Technology for Research in Astronomy (ULTRA) Project
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