• Mirror Module
• ATHENA
• Mirror support structure

ATHENA – Advanced Telescope for High-Energy Astrophysics – will be an X-ray telescope designed to address the Cosmic Vision science theme 'The Hot and Energetic Universe'. The present work of thesis deals with the design of a dimensionally-stable support structure for the X-ray optic composed by thousands of Mirror Modules of silicon pore optics technology. The scope is to determine a preliminary design of a Mirror Assembly Module that has to guarantee that the Mirror Modules are accommodated in a suitable environment so as to ensure the required MAM science performance in terms of effective area and angular resolution. The second task is a preliminary design, with generation of relative drawings for manufacturing, of a breadboard that will be used to prove the MM integration and alignment procedures and the possible environmental test. The approach to this project has begun with a series of trade-off in order to determine qualitatively the baseline configuration and material. A preliminary 2D CAD model of the mirror structure has been designed using the software CATIA and then converted in the Finite Element Method thanks to pre/post-processing software for Finite Element Analysis (FEA) MSC.Patran and analysed with the solver MSC.Nastran performing static and modal analysis. From the first results it has been possible to develop a more refined 3D model. In parallel also the breadboard CAD model has been built with the same software. The results found are acceptable and in good agreement with those already studied in the former project IXO, but also with those obtained by ESA in the latest feasibility study especially regarding the modal behaviour. Finally the outcomes are judged a significant “victory”; they could be very useful as a starting point for the next phase A in which clearly the MAM model must be subjected to a coupled analysis with the entire telescope and instead for the breadboard further investigations are needed to clarify the final manufacturing procedure and its feasibility.