17 Dec
2003
17 Dec
'03
11:17 p.m.
Phil Karn <karn@qualcomm.com> writes: [sat stuff and big mirrors...]
Mirrors could be sectional. Many mirrors can be joined together into a much larger mirror. Take a look at those put it together yourself model kits.
Remember that when they're joined, they must maintain an accuracy of a small fraction of a wavelength to not spoil the results.
They do not need to be joined. There already exist examples of "large" telescopes on the ground that combine the light received by multiple smaller mirrors into a single "synthetic image." The individual mirrors can be small for easy transportation and can be added over time to keep increasing the resolution... jim