Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) - The Prime Focus Subsystems: Requirements and Interfaces

MSE will be a massively multiplexed survey telescope, including a segmented primary mirror which feeds fibers at the prime focus, including an array of approximately four thousand fibers, positioned precisely to feed banks of spectrographs several tens of meters away. We describe the process of mapping top-level requirements on MSE to technical specifications for subsystems located at the MSE prime focus. This includes the overall top-level requirements based on knowledge of similar systems at other telescopes and how those requirements were converted into specifications so that the subsystems could begin working on their Conceptual Design Phases. We then discuss the verification of the engineering specifications and the compiling of lower-level requirements and specifications into higher level performance budgets (e.g. Image Quality). We also briefly discuss the interface specifications, their effect on the performance of the system and the plan to manage them going forward. We also discuss the opto-mechanical design of the telescope top end assembly and refer readers to more details for instrumentation located at the top end.Comment: 14 pages; Proceedings of SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2018; Modeling, Systems Engineering, and Project Management for Astronomy VII

Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer Advancing from Conceptual Design

The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) project has completed its Conceptual Design Phase. This paper is a status report of the MSE project regarding its technical and programmatic progress. The technical status includes its conceptual design and system performance, and highlights findings and recommendations from the System and various subsystems design reviews. The programmatic status includes the project organization and management plan for the Preliminary Design Phase. In addition, this paper provides the latest information related to the permitting process for Maunakea construction.Comment: 15 pages; Proceedings of SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2018; Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes VI

The science calibration challenges of next generation highly multiplexed optical spectroscopy: the case of the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer

MSE is an 11.25m telescope with a 1.5 sq.deg. field of view. It can simultaneously obtain 3249 spectra at R=3000 from 360-1800nm, and 1083 spectra at R=40000 in the optical. The large field of view, large number of targets, as well as the use of more than 4000 optical fibres to transport the light from the focal plane to the spectrographs, means that precise and accurate science calibration is difficult but essential to obtaining the science goals. As a large aperture telescope focusing on the faint Universe, precision sky subtraction and spectrophotometry are especially important. Here, we discuss the science calibration requirements, and the adopted calibration strategy, including operational features and hardware, that will enable the successful scientific exploitation of the vast MSE dataset.Comment: Proceedings of SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2018; Observatory Operations: Strategies, Processes, and Systems VI

Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE): Implementing systems engineering methodology for the development of a new facility

Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer will be a 10-m class highly multiplexed survey telescope, including a segmented primary mirror and robotic fiber positioners at the prime focus. MSE will replace the Canada France Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) on the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The multiplexing includes an array of over four thousand fibres feeding banks of spectrographs several tens of meters away. We present an overview of the requirements flow-down for MSE, from Science Requirements Document to Observatory Requirements Document. We have developed the system performance budgets, along with updating the budget architecture of our evolving project. We have also identified the links between subsystems and system budgets (and subsequently science requirements) and included system budget that are unique to MSE as a fiber-fed facility. All of this has led to a set of Observatory Requirements that is fully consistent with the Science Requirements.Comment: 20 pages; Proceedings of SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2018; Modeling, Systems Engineering, and Project Management for Astronomy VII

NFIRAOS First Facility AO System for the Thirty Meter Telescope

NFIRAOS, the Thirty Meter Telescope's first adaptive optics system is an order 60x60 Multi-Conjugate AO system with two deformable mirrors. Although most observing will use 6 laser guide stars, it also has an NGS-only mode. Uniquely, NFIRAOS is cooled to -30 C to reduce thermal background. NFIRAOS delivers a 2-arcminute beam to three client instruments, and relies on up to three IR WFSs in each instrument. We present recent work including: robust automated acquisition on these IR WFSs; trade-off studies for a common-size of deformable mirror; real-time computing architectures; simplified designs for high-order NGS-mode wavefront sensing; modest upgrade concepts for high-contrast imaging.Comment: ..submitted to SPIE 9148 Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation - Adaptive Optics Systems IV (2014

TMT telescope structure system: design and development progress report

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project has revised the reference optical configuration from an Aplanatic Gregorian to a Ritchey-Chrétien design. This paper describes the revised telescope structural design and outlines the design methodology for achieving the dynamic performance requirements derived from the image jitter error budget. The usage of transfer function tools which incorporate the telescope structure system dynamic characteristics and the control system properties is described along with the optimization process for the integrated system. Progress on the structural design for seismic considerations is presented. Moreover, mechanical design progress on the mount control system hardware such as the hydrostatic bearings and drive motors, cable wraps and safety system hardware such as brakes and absorbers are also presented

TMT telescope structure system: design and development progress report

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project has revised the reference optical configuration from an Aplanatic Gregorian to a Ritchey-Chrétien design. This paper describes the revised telescope structural design and outlines the design methodology for achieving the dynamic performance requirements derived from the image jitter error budget. The usage of transfer function tools which incorporate the telescope structure system dynamic characteristics and the control system properties is described along with the optimization process for the integrated system. Progress on the structural design for seismic considerations is presented. Moreover, mechanical design progress on the mount control system hardware such as the hydrostatic bearings and drive motors, cable wraps and safety system hardware such as brakes and absorbers are also presented