Astronomers have been dreaming of astronomers for a long time. One of the first and most active promoters of this idea was in the 40-50s L. Spetser from Princeton University. Back in 1946, he prepared a report (then secret) on the benefits of space observations. In 1959, 1962 and 1965, at meetings of U.S. astronomers devoted to the development of a space research program, it was recommended to begin work on the study of the project "Big Space Telescope", and in the fall of 1971, NASA organized a committee to develop this project, which began the program of the Hubble Space Telescope.
In 1973, a specialist working group led by C.O. ¢ Della began preliminary work on the basic design options for the "Big Space Telescope", which was completed in 1977 with the establishment of a working group of the Hubble Space Telescope. By that time, the telescope had lost its name as the "large" telescope and the diameter of its main mirror had been reduced from 3 to 2.4 m. The fact that the developers became aware of the parameters of MTKK - the transport system for the telescope's launch into orbit. The MTKK cargo bay could accommodate a telescope with a mirror diameter of up to 3.2 m, but then massive blocks of the satellite's service systems (i.e. orientation, power supply, communication) would have to be placed behind the main mirror, and for such a satellite with a high moment of inertia it was necessary to develop a powerful and expensive orientation system.
Ritchie-Cretienne's optical system
Limitations on tool length and the need for a large field of view led to the choice of the Ritchie-Cretien optical system, which is widely used in modern ground-based refractors as well. The main and secondary mirrors, respectively, are concave and convex hyperboloid-shaped and are 4.9 m apart (equivalent to a focal length of 58 m).
Optical parts of the telescope are attached to a graphite-epoxy composite farm, which is able to maintain their mutual position with an accuracy of 1 micron, despite temperature fluctuations. Requirements for mechanical strength of the structure are associated with 3-4 multiple overloads, which are possible during the takeoff and landing of the MTKK, and not with the conditions of the telescope in orbit. The total mass of the satellite is 10.4 tons.
Unlike the ground telescopes, the Space Telescope named after M.V. Lomonosov is the first telescope in the world. Hubble will also work in bright sunlight. Therefore the forward end of a pipe of a telescope is essentially lengthened at the expense of a light-protective hood, in a pipe there is a system of the diaphragms covered with "especially" black paint, capable to reflect less than 1 % of falling light and not to give reflections. Despite these measures, the telescope will be able to record a truly "dark" sky only when the object of observation is at angular distances of more than 50 ° from the Sun, 70 ° from the illuminated part of the Earth and 15 ° from the Moon.
With the help of the Hubble Space Telescope, planets will also be observed and move quickly enough against the stars. However, with this guidance system, this telescope will not be able to observe the Earth's surface. It is necessary to notice that malfunctions at work of gauges of exact conducting till the last moment forced to doubt their working capacity.
In 1973, it was decided to use electronic image receivers, the best of which was considered to be the Second-transmitting television receiver developed by R. Danielson and his staff. What was the disappointment of its creators when in 1977 it became known about the sharp reorientation of program managers to solid-state receivers? This was a bold decision, as the technology of creating such receivers was only a few years old at the time, and they had not yet been used in astronomy.
Conclusion
The story about the structure of the surrounding starry and galactic world, about the laws governing it, about the ways of its evolution, we take for granted today. This is undoubtedly a manifestation of the belief in science, which is already deeply rooted in each of us, in its, as it seems, almost unlimited possibilities. In doing so, we recall the words of the outstanding French scientist Repé Descartes (1596-1650): "There is nothing so distant from us that we cannot discover. And also the words of his no less prominent compatriot Blaise Pascal (1623-1662): "It is not surprising that the universe is infinite, but that man is able to reveal its secrets ...".