TMT Secondary Mirror Support System and Positioner (M2SSP) Kickoff Meeting at AMOS, on 24 and 25 October 2023 held on site at M2SSP supplier AMOS offices in Belgium. The meeting participants, including representatives from TIO Optics, Systems Engineering, Structure, and Controls groups, conducted a thorough review of the M2SSP requirements with AMOS. Image credit: AMOS
TMT Secondary Mirror Support System and Positioner Assembly Kick-Off Meeting
A kickoff meeting was recently held for the TMT Secondary Mirror Support System and Positioner Assembly (M2SSP), a critical subsystem of the TMT Observatory. Responsible for safely supporting and adjusting the rigid body motion of the secondary mirror (M2), the M2SSP encompasses all of the secondary mirror system hardware, minus the mirror itself, as well as the controls and safety systems.
Two members from our Telescope Optics team, Art Mihill (M2SSP work package manager) and Ben Gallagher (Telescope Optics Group leader), traveled to Belgium for the meeting with our contractor, Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems (AMOS). Members from the TMT International Observatory (TIO) Systems Engineering and Telescope groups (Optics, Controls, and Structure) also participated remotely.
The meeting took place over two days on 24–25 October 2023 and marked a successful start of the Preliminary Design Phase for the M2SSP. The work set out in this contract is covered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) design and development funding awarded to TIO earlier this month. Both TIO and AMOS are honored and excited to collaborate together on this important project.
The meeting began with introductions from both teams followed by a design presentation from AMOS that provided a comprehensive overview of their M2SSP conceptual design. AMOS demonstrated their impressive expertise in optical systems by providing valuable information and posing essential questions to drive this work forward.
TMT M2SSP Conceptual Design. The secondary mirror will be mounted in a steel mirror cell that contains the axial and lateral supports for the mirror. Image credit: AMOS
TIO’s Jimmy Johnson (Telescope Controls Group leader) shared an overview of the TMT controls and safety systems and Jamie Dodge (systems engineer) outlined TIO’s systems engineering processes and guidance for developing the M2SSP deliverables.
The combined team held effective discussions to clarify key requirements and interfaces, with both parties identifying action items to ensure alignment and efficiency in ongoing collaboration for M2SSP development.
The kickoff meeting marked a productive start to the M2SSP Preliminary Design Phase. The Preliminary Design Review is planned for the northern summer 2024.
TMT’s secondary mirror system is viewed on top of the telescope structure, facing downward in the direction of the TMT tertiary mirror. The image inserted at the bottom right shows an artist impression of the M2 system. The purpose of the M2 system is to refocus the light beam in the direction of the plane tertiary mirror, where it is reflected toward the science instruments. Image credit: TMT International Observatory
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreement No. 2331108. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
