December 11, 2013

A giant space telescope made from plastic

Normally I’d call a 600mm lens big—but this bad boy dwarfs even the Hubble: 

DARPA says the MOIRE program is currently in its “second and final phase,” and has already been prototyped. When completed, such optical systems could result in more powerful telescopes that fit in smaller rockets and shuttles, with eventual use in tracking weather systems or for reconnaissance. Here’s a clip explaining more about how it works:

[YouTube]