-Coating Plant: Utilizes magnetron technology that can coat with either Aluminum or

protected Silver. Silver will substantially benefit infrared and optical observations.

-Aluminum Coating: Approximately 1200 Ångströms (120nm) thick and requires about

16 grams of Aluminum to coat the entire primary mirror. This is equivalent to

a little more than 1 aluminum soda can.

-Protected Silver Coating: Provides significantly lower Infrared emissivity than is

possible with traditional Aluminum coatings - 4% IR emissivity for the entire optical

system (ultimate goal is 2%). Reflectivity with protected silver is substantially greater

than with aluminum at all wavelengths longer than 400nm, and is greater by almost 20%

at some red wavelengths.