Technology demonstration solar telescope

The conceptual design of the Large Earth-based Solar Telescope (LEST)has evolved through the years. In 1995-97 it was discussed whether atechnology demonstration telescope could be built at a lower cost thanthe LEST originally proposed. In 1997, a de-scoped LEST design, theso-called "Mini-LEST", was conceived and proposed to the LEST community.The telescope has an innovative design with a small field lens thatmakes the way for simple adaptive optics. The optical performance isexcellent. It has a low-cost alt-az steel structure with a large slewingring for the azimuth movement and direct-drive motors for simplicity.The telescope is open but can easily be modified to a Helium telescopeto compare performance of Helium filled telescopes vs. open telescopes.The tower has also been simplified to reduce cost. It has a dome designthat provides protection for wind and yet permits open-air observations.The budget shows an overall cost of 37.6 MSEK and an exectution time ofless than four years.