A NATURAL APPLICATION FOR HIGH-TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTORS - A BEARING FOR THE AZIMUTH MOUNT OF A LUNAR TELESCOPE

A bearing for telescope mounts on the moon has to Function in a cold d usty vacuum environment that impairs the operation of almost all tradi tional bearings, but it is a natural environment For bearings construc ted out of magnets and high temperature superconductors. The challenge lies not so much in the weight of the telescope that has to be suppor ted, but in the smoothness of forces required for precision positionin g control over a long stretch of time without human intervention. In t his paper, we present a design of hybrid superconductor magnet bearing s intended for use on the azimuth mount of an altitude-azimuth telesco pe mount system. In addition to the general features of hybrid super c onducting magnet bearings, we will address particular issues connected with the application of these bearings on a telescope mount.