Finite Element Analysis of the "MezzoCielo" monocentric optical system and other mechanical issues

Mezzocielo is a proposed innovative type of telescope, conceived for achieving simultaneous observations of the available sky using a single monocentric collecting optical unit and leaving to an array of optical correctors the purpose of detecting the final starlight. Thanks to a spherical array of field lenses, encompassing an optical fluid and illuminating the correctors, the telescope allows to realize a whole-sky surveying (the estimated Field of View is more than 10 thousand square degrees), with the aim of detect and observe space debris, even if other possibilities are available (the observatory could be configured for different astronomical purposes, like ecliptic observations, extragalactic monitoring or Milky Way monitoring). Objective of the present work is demonstrating the actual feasibility of this instrument and, at the same time, developing a model employable for its first sizing, namely for the selection of the most appropriate dimensions of the whole telescope and its most stressed component, according to the mechanical and hydraulic loads, the boundary conditions and few other constraints. The analytical procedure was eventually verified through a Finite Element Analysis of the most loaded field lens, which has demonstrated the reliability of our approach in terms of safety.