I remember a concept paper long ago that talked about the possibility of deploying hundreds of smaller mirrors on a lattis structure. The idea would be that each smaller mirror would be a small (say 2") parabolic mirror that would then focus on the main reflector of only a meter or so.
Each small mirror would require constant micro modifications to compensate for stresses in the lattis structure. This was to be accomplished by piezo (sp?) motors and lasers for measurements.
The idea was that you could pre-assemble the lattis components with the mirrors and assemble in space. The back side of the lattis would provide shielding and a place to mount solar pannels, batteries, electronics, etc.
I wonder if such a design would work here?
Actually, such designs are already in use on Earth. There are scopes with multiple small mirrors on movable mounts, and scopes where one large mirror is supported by movable supports that distort the mirror to adjust for atmospheric conditions. The systems use lasers that are shot up through the atmosphere to measure aberrations in viewing.
