Optics

Shuttle carries largest replicated composite mirror ever placed in orbit

May 23, 2011

Composite Mirror Applications (CMA) produced a 1.3-m-diameter carbon-composite mirror that was carried into space last week on the Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-134).

John Wallace

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Tucson, AZ--Composite Mirror Applications (CMA) produced a 1.3-m-diameter carbon-composite mirror that was carried into space last week on the Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-134). The Shuttle carried the AlphaMagnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) and the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE 8), both to be installed on the International Space Station (ISS).

The mirror, which is to be the largest replicated composite mirror ever placed in orbit, is part of the RICH Detector system of the $2 billion AMS. STS 134 will also send CMA-produced optical-quality carbon-composite mirrors onboard the MISSE 8 experiment, which will be exposed for one to two years to low-earth-orbit conditions and mounted to the ISS.

The Shuttle mission is commanded by Mark Kelly, the husband of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who represents District 8 where CMA does business in Tucson. This is the final flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

For more information, visit www.compositemirrors.com.

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About the Author

John Wallace | Senior Technical Editor (1998-2022)

John Wallace was with Laser Focus World for nearly 25 years, retiring in late June 2022. He obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and physics at Rutgers University and a master's in optical engineering at the University of Rochester. Before becoming an editor, John worked as an engineer at RCA, Exxon, Eastman Kodak, and GCA Corporation.