FLUTE (Fluidic Telescope): From Puddles to Giant Space Observatories

The future of space-based UV/optical/IR astronomy requires ever larger telescopes. The highest priority astrophysics targets — including Earth-like exoplanets, first generation stars, and early galaxies — are all very faint, which presents a challenge for current and next generation telescopes. Larger telescopes are the primary (if not only) way to address this issue. With mission costs depending strongly on aperture diameter, scaling current space telescope technologies to aperture sizes exceeding 10 meters does not appear economically viable.

The NASA FLUTE (Fluidic Telescope) project proposes to overcome the current scaling limitations for space optics via a novel approach based on fluidic shaping in microgravity. This technique has already been successfully demonstrated in a laboratory neutral buoyancy environment, in parabolic microgravity flights, and aboard the International Space Station (ISS). In this talk, Dr. Edward Balaban will present the results to date and outline the work in progress, including technology maturation experiments and FLUTE mission concepts under development.