Image Quality Control and Alignment of a Submillimeter Balloon-Borne Segmented Telescope

PRONAOS is a balloon-borne system dedicated to astronomical observations in the submillimeter range (180µm - 1050µm) based on the use of a 2m Cassegrain telescope. The primary mirror consists of six CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic) panels, each being positioned by three actuators. The rotation angles of the panels have been measured in the visible range with the help of a CCD and digital centroiding techniques that were necessary because of the light scattering on the CFRP mirror. The translation movements (along the optical axis) of the panels have been measured with an interference technique in the submillimeter range. Both visible and submillimeter measurements were also necessary to determine the alignment of the telescope - focal instrument system with the star sensor. The whole alignment process leads to a precision of ±8 for the rotation angles and ±7µm for the translation of each panel, sufficient for a qualification of the system.