In article ,
lid (John Savard) writes:
I should have been more clear: preparing to orbit a space telescope with
[a silicon carbide mirror] the Herschel space telescope.

Thanks. Details at
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/obj...objectid=34705

As far as I can tell, the shortest wavelength Herschel will observe
is 60 microns. This means the mirror polishing can be about ten
times worse than would be necessary for visible observations. That
doesn't mean better polishing can't be done, of course, only that it
is unlikely to be demonstrated by this telescope.

--
Steve Willner Phone 617-495-7123
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
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