How much flatter were the edges of the primary mirror polished compared to the required contour?
Answer
2.2 micrometers
The manufacturing deviation that caused the spherical aberration was precisely quantified as a flatness error of 2.2 micrometers along the edges of the 2.4-meter primary mirror. This measurement is significant because it represents the difference between the actual shape and the ideal paraboloidal shape required for perfect focusing. While 2.2 micrometers is a minuscule distance in absolute terms, equating to roughly 1/50th the thickness of a human hair, in the realm of high-precision optics for astronomical observation, this deviation was catastrophically large, leading to the failure to resolve fine detail as designed.
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Related Questions
What specific optical flaw caused the initial fuzzy and blurred images from the Hubble telescope?How much flatter were the edges of the primary mirror polished compared to the required contour?What instrument, intended to verify the mirror's shape, was installed incorrectly during ground testing?Which companies were responsible for grinding and testing the flawed primary mirror, respectively?What resolution, instead of the intended 0.1 arcseconds, did the flawed Hubble deliver?What corrective package was implemented to fix the focus issue for instruments like the FOS and GHRS?Which servicing mission, launching in December 1993, successfully deployed the corrective optics?What instrument was physically replaced by the WFPC2 during the first servicing mission?The intended precision for the primary mirror shape was accurate to within what fraction of a human hair's width?What key lesson regarding verification systems did the Hubble flaw highlight?