M2 System
The M2 System comprises of two main packages, the M2 Assembly which has been contracted to LZOS to design and manufacture and the M2 Unit which will be of a hexapod design and has been contracted by NTE in Barcelona who also manufactured the M2 Unit for Grantecan. The M2 Assembly comprises the M2 Mirror and its Support Cell. LZOS will manufacture the mirror from Astro Sitall. A fixed baffle is mounted around the secondary mirror in order to stop light from the sky being detected from around the edge of the M2. The two pictures below show the back surface of a Sital blank that has been lightweighted by LZOS. It is now undergoing treatment to the front optical surface to complete the process of turning it into the M2 mirror.
M2 Mirror - Back - End of Lightweighting
Preliminary polishing of M2
The pictures below show the progression of a 2.4m diameter Hindle Sphere from a blank to one at the polishing stage. This will be used to test the M2 Mirror in a specially designed test tower
Polishing Process
