We describe a 'point design' for a 30m Giant Segmented Mirror Telescope (GSMT) aimed at meeting a set of initial science goals developed over a period of two years by working groups comprised of more than 60 astronomers. The paper summarizes these goals briefly, captures the top-level performance requirements that follow from them, and describes a plausible, first-cut technical solution developed as part of an overall systems-level analysis. The key features of the point design are: (1) a fast (f/1) primary; (2) an adaptive secondary that serves both to compensate for the effects of wind buffeting and as the first stage of three adaptive optics systems: (i) multi-conjugate AO; (ii) high-performance on-axis AO; (iii) ground-level seeing compensation; (3) a radio telescope structure; (4) multiple instrument ports (prime focus; Nasmyth foci; direct Cass); (5) an hierarchical control system comprising multiple active and adaptive elements.

Date Published: 30 January 2003
PDF: 13 pages
Proc. SPIE 4840, Future Giant Telescopes, (30 January 2003); doi: 10.1117/12.459863

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4840:
Future Giant Telescopes
J. Roger P. Angel; Roberto Gilmozzi, Editor(s)