Hubble From Behind (2009) Caption The Space Shuttle Atlantis moves away from Hubble after the telescope's release on May 19, 2009 concluded Servicing Mission 4. The Soft Capture Mechanism, a ring that a future robotic mission can grapple in order to de-orbit the telescope, is visible in the center. Credits NASA

When Theory Meets Reality at 30,000 Feet: How STOP Analyses Safeguard Optical Performance

There is a captivating quality to concepts that propose stripped-down, simplified solutions. For example, becoming increasingly popular among aerospace engineers is the idea that if you can build an entire telescope from a single material, the system will expand uniformly with temperature changes. The goal is for the telescope to stay perfectly in focus in all sorts of conditions like …