10-02-2015, 08:16 AM
This Raytheon patent seems quite applicable. I'm a bit surprised the patent was granted, though... it doesn't appear to claim anything other than a simple Dove prism array, which I thought has been known for many years. But perhaps I've missed something (I've only skimmed it quickly at this point).
I wish I could get my hands on a Dove prism array, but my googling hasn't turned up any source for them. And the individual prisms are quite expensive. I'd love to see whether these really do rotate without distortion, or whether you get a stripey effect like looking through a shower door.
If they really are distortion-free, then they would be pretty much ideal, since you can make them exactly as thick as you want them to be to provide a derotating window, and radiation shielding at the same time.
I wish I could get my hands on a Dove prism array, but my googling hasn't turned up any source for them. And the individual prisms are quite expensive. I'd love to see whether these really do rotate without distortion, or whether you get a stripey effect like looking through a shower door.
If they really are distortion-free, then they would be pretty much ideal, since you can make them exactly as thick as you want them to be to provide a derotating window, and radiation shielding at the same time.
Joe Strout
Lead Developer, High Frontier