Revolutionary Membrane Mirrors Transform Space Telescope Astronomy.

Researchers at Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics have developed a new method to produce and shape large, high-quality mirrors that are significantly thinner than the primary mirrors traditionally employed in space telescopes. The mirrors are lightweight and flexible enough to be rolled up and packed efficiently within a spacecraft during launch. The researchers created the mirrors by using chemical vapor deposition to grow membrane mirrors on a rotating liquid inside a vacuum chamber. The new membrane-based mirrors could also be used in adaptive optics systems.