Chapter 5 Robust Performance Tailoring with Tuning - SSL - MIT

Chapter 5 Robust Performance Tailoring with Tuning - SSL - MIT Chapter 5 Robust Performance Tailoring with Tuning - SSL - MIT

11.12.2012 Views

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Chapter 7 Conclusions and Recommendations 7.1 Thesis Summary Space-based precision optical structures, such as the telescopes in NASA’s Origins missions, require high levels of performance to meet science goals. The optics on interferometers, such as the Space Interferometry Mission and the Terrestrial Planet Finder, must meet positional tolerances on the order of nanometers. To further complicate matters, it is not practical to fully test these systems on the ground due to large differences between the testing and operational environments. As a result, models and simulations are expected to play a significant role in the design and testing of these structures. Relying on models to predict future performance is risky as there are many sources of uncertainty that can lead to errors in the model predictions. The design of such high-performance, high-uncertainty systems is challenging because early in the design cycle, when there is maximum design flexibility, the uncertainty is very high. It is often difficult to find a design that can compensate for all of the uncertainty in the model and still meet performance requirements. The uncertainty space is greatly reduced once the design is finalized and hardware is built. However, it may become apparent during testing that the hardware does not meet performance requirements, and only limited adjustments are possible without incurring high cost and/or launch delays. This thesis provides a solution to the problem of system design for high performance and high uncertainty systems that attempts to balance this 211

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