Paper Session II-C - Feasibility of Astronomical Observatories on the Moon

The \u27Program Development \u27Directorate of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFQ, NASA, has conducted conceptual studies of an. evolutionary family of UV/Visible/IR optical telescopes to be based on the lunar surface. Included are: (1) the 16-trt aperture Latge Lunar Telescope (LLT); (2) the 4-in aperture precursor Lunar Cluster Telescope Experiment (LCTE); and (3) the 1 -m Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope Experiment (LUTE) proposed by John. McGraw of the University of New Mexico. \u27Development and emplacement of these advanced astronomical facilities would parallel the buildup of an initial lunar exploration site, an early Lunar \u27Outpost, and a permanent Lunar Base. The Directorate, in, conjunction with, astronomers of various institutions, has examined the feasibility of constructing such telescopes and has assessed technology, subsystem, system, transportation, operations, and logistics requirements for their development and emplacement Influences of\u27the lunar environment and site selection on telescope designi and operation wete also evaluated

Paper Session I-C - Evolution of Lunar Based Optical Astronomy Facilities

The evolution of lunar based optical telescopes has been studied by the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) from early 1989 to the present. This paper describes four lunar based telescopes which form a logical evolution from a 1-m aperture, UV transit telescope to a 16-m aperture, IR/Vis/UV facility. Key trades and issues which will be encountered in developing these systems are discussed. Experience has shown that developing and deploying a major space astronomy payload can stretch over as much as two decades. If the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is to deploy the next generation of space-based telescopes within the next quarter-century, design planning must begin now to resolve the fundamental trades and major design issues raised by operating in the lunar environment