We report on test results on the delay line system for the MRO Interferometer, currently under construction in Cambridge, UK. The delay lines are designed to provide 380 metres of vacuum path delay in a single stage, offering rapid star-to-star slews, high throughput and high transmitted wavefront quality. Details of the final design adopted for these delay lines are presented, together with lessons learnt from successful performance tests of the full-scale prototype trolley in a 20-metre long vacuum test rig. Delivery of the first production trolley is expected in New Mexico in early 2009.

Date Published: 28 July 2008
PDF: 10 pages
Proc. SPIE 7013, Optical and Infrared Interferometry, 70130O (28 July 2008); doi: 10.1117/12.789761

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7013:
Optical and Infrared Interferometry
Markus Schöller; William C. Danchi; Françoise Delplancke, Editor(s)