Summary

We hate to admit it, but accidents happen. When they do, what you do next is most critical. In this case study, we will discuss a composite-material radio telescope panel that was damaged (see below image). After the accident, telescope scientists deemed it best to remove it from the telescope and perform some analysis before resuming any operations. The scientists needed to know if the damage to the panel was isolated to the visual damage area, or if it propagated throughout the rest of the surface. These are panels for an extremely sensitive telescope, thus the surface requirement is 20 µm RMS (<0.001″). There really aren’t any easily accessible methods to measure this large area with the kind of precision to even make a determination that an object is meeting this tight specification! Yet the scientists need to know if it is ok to remount the panel on the telescope, or if a new panel is required. Time is ticking to get the telescope operational again as many wait to use it for critical science! This problem needed to be solved, and fast!

The Measurement

Thankfully, the telescope team found Fringe. We were able to produce a high resolution scan of the area surrounding the damage in just a few minutes, with over a million sample points. A comparable scan with any kind of manual method would have taken days, and would have been less accurate.

The Determination

Due to our unique ability to quickly add new features, we were able to provide an analysis along with the data. Starting at the center of the damage, we removed points from the data at larger and larger distances, until the panel returned within the requirements. We were able to determine that roughly 75 mm from the damage, the panel returns to its normal shape, even below 7 µm!

The Outcome

Information is power! Wielded with the in-depth surface measurement and analysis provided by Fringe, the telescope team was able to quickly mask the damaged area and return the panel to the telescope, resuming operations and scientific exploration.