Description of the Airborne Telescope Balancing Video - 1998

Edward Wilson, Intellization

The project and technology are described in the associated paper. Briefly, the goal is to achieve a static balance of the spherical-bearing-supported telescope. This requires adjustment of counterweights so the center of mass (CM) is at the center of rotation (CR) of the bearing. This process takes about 5 minutes (as compared to 4 hours for the previously used approach), and the video demonstrates the resulting accuracy of balancing.

This is a 1/2 scale model of the Kuiper airborne telescope.

Although the telescope is attached to the force transducers during balancing, for the video (taken after balancing has been completed), it is completely unattached.

First part of the video zooms in on each of the major components: mechanical spherical bearing, compound force transducers, continuous-driven counterweights in 3 axes, discrete size counterweights on fixed peg locations.

Then a 10g weight is attached, which causes the telescope to start to fall, indicating the fidelity of balancing.

Then, with the weight removed (and the CM back at the CR), the telescope is rolled and then pitched, each time stopping and remaining motionless at the new attitude.