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A potentially more interesting solution is liquid metal mirrors, either mercury-based or some sort of ferro-silver suspension managed electromagnetically.

A hollow toroid could be spun to provide force and the liquid would naturally form a parabola.

There've been a few experiments on earth and it could have huge cost saving potential in space. Instead of having to launch a 8m+ solid mirror machined to perfection, you could launch a lightweight toroidal substructure with a vat of reflective liquid at a fraction of the cost.



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