Lloyd Purves
Papers
3
Total Citations
62
H-Index
3
About
Lloyd Purves is a pioneering figure in space systems engineering, best known for his visionary work on large-scale space telescopes and robotic assembly technologies. His most influential contribution is the 2006 concept for a scalable space observatory—a 10-50 meter segmented telescope designed for in-space assembly by robots or astronauts, operating at UV-optical-near infrared wavelengths. This forward-looking study, with 38 citations, laid foundational ideas for future NASA missions like the concept of servicing and assembling large observatories in orbit. Earlier, in 1984, Purves developed a compliant robot with force feedback and strategy planning software for automated precision assembly of space flight equipment, a project that garnered 19 citations and demonstrated early advances in space robotics. He also contributed a method for estimating the costs and benefits of space assembly and servicing by both robots and astronauts, weighing technical efficiency against societal value. Purves’s work bridges engineering, robotics, and space policy, offering practical frameworks for the next generation of modular, in-space constructed telescopes.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Concept for a large scalable space telescope: in-space assembly38 citations · 2006
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