NASASpaceFlight.com Forum
General Discussion => Q&A Section => Topic started by: aero on 10/08/2012 04:39 pm
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NASA was given two telescopes built for spy satellites.
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=29081.0 (http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=29081.0)
How do these telescopes compare in optical power to the scopes currently used for ground tracking of launch vehicles?
The question comes up due to the rapid, unplanned disassembly of Falcon 9 parts in the area of the engines during the Oct. 7 SpaceX resupply mission launch. I know that optical ground tracking was upgraded to monitor foam hazards on the space shuttle launch, but would it be possible to upgrade further using those two free telescopes?
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NASA was given two telescopes built for spy satellites.
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=29081.0 (http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=29081.0)
How do these telescopes compare in optical power to the scopes currently used for ground tracking of launch vehicles?
The question comes up due to the rapid, unplanned disassembly of Falcon 9 parts in the area of the engines during the Oct. 7 SpaceX resupply mission launch. I know that optical ground tracking was upgraded to monitor foam hazards on the space shuttle launch, but would it be possible to upgrade further using those two free telescopes?
No, launch requires ground based asset with higher rates of slewing.
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No. You don't want very large telescopes for vehicle tracking. If their diameter is too big, they will suffer from turbulence most of the times.
RC Optical constructs Ritchey Chrétien telescopes for serious amateurs and for the military. They are used to track things like missiles or airplanes.
Take a look:
http://www.rcopticalsystems.com/projects/twin_24s.html (http://www.rcopticalsystems.com/projects/twin_24s.html)
Here is one tracking a Delta II launch
(http://www.rcopticalsystems.com/telescopes/images/24inchMilitary_VAFB_02.jpg)
EDIT: the larger ones they have cost around $150k each (OTA), they are available in large quantities, so no need to spend millions fitting those spy scopes to this job.
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Ok. Thanks, it was just a thought.
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They are already big (24"):
http://www2.l-3com.com/ios/pdf/Doams_071309.pdf
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Yes, they start at 10" and can go up to 24". Turbulence affects telescope's resolution. Larger telescopes suffer more because they are so wide that the turbulence is uneven across the field. If the turbulence is in the upper layers of the atmosphere and your target is just a couple of miles away, it works
But the worst turbulence is usually ground turbulence.
From my experience, anything over a 10" diameter requires a steady atmosphere, otherwise it will produce images with less resolution than smaller scopes.