A University of
Kentucky engineering professor developing a way to put larger telescopes in space has
received a $163,000 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER)
Award. The award is given to professors who have been in tenure-track positions for less
than four years.John Main, who teaches in the UK mechanical engineering
department, will use the grant to continue developing a way to unfold huge mirrors in
space, giving scientists an even broader view than what is given by the Hubble Space
Telescope.
"The more lights you can see in the universe, the further back we can see in time.
Maybe we can even see to the Big Bang," Main said.
The size of space telescopes is controlled by the size of space shuttle cargo bays.
However, Main is working on material that can be folded while en route then shaped to
exact specifications by shooting electrons at it – missing by even a hair’s
width can damage a mirrors effectiveness. Electrons are shot through red, yellow and blue
phosphors to form the images on a television screen, but the material Main is using
changes shape when shot by electrons.
Main, who has been on the UK faculty for three years, believes the process could lead
to mirrors as large as one kilometer in diameter. In contrast, the primary Hubble mirror
is 2.4 meters in diameter.
In addition to the four-year CAREER grant from the NSF, Main has received funding from
NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy to further his research.
