Software for Alignment of Segments of a Telescope Mirror

The Segment Alignment Maintenance System (SAMS) software is designed to maintain the overall focus and figure of the large segmented primary mirror of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. This software reads measurements made by sensors attached to the segments of the primary mirror and from these measurements computes optimal control values to send to actuators that move the mirror segments. The software also acts as a logger for the collected data, a server from which the hardware of the control computer can acquire control information and other computers can collect data, and a monitoring and diagnostic system. The software provides a graphical user interface through which human operators can exert control. The software supports four modes of operation: