docs(optics): optical engineering roadmap + v0.1.1 + sourcing corrections

[THOClabs]

Summary

The v0.1.1 flagship deliverable: design/optical/OPTICAL_ENGINEERING_ROADMAP.md — the engineering roadmap for designing NIGHTWATCH's own telescope optics, mirroring the mechanical design→proof→tender pattern.

Highlights:

• Make-vs-buy gate with evidence: Intes production dead since 2018 (adjudicated with DNS/Wayback evidence), used market thin and unverifiable, Starlux 190MN fails the requirements — custom design justified by four written requirements (zero-expansion-class primary, ≤18–20% obstruction, certified λ/8 wavefront, sealed tube).
• The glass story: Astrositall CO-115M honestly reframed — LZOS is sanctioned, so the primary is specified by CTE class (Zerodur/Clearceram/ULE/fused-silica baseline) with a standing secondary-market Sitall watch preserving the signature.
• Fork dissolved: MN76-f/6 vs MN78-f/8 is a false binary for a custom design; provisional target 180 mm f/6.5–f/7 at ≤18% obstruction, settled by CI ray-trace gates (optiland/prysm), a secondary-illumination proof, and real corrector quotes (delta measured at <10%).
• Phases P0–P6 with entry/exit gates; P0–P2 cost $0 in hardware.
• Committed budget envelope $6.5k–12k optics (project total acknowledged ~$15–20k) per project decision 2026-08-06.
• Ray-trace-verified seed prescriptions, tolerance table, verified vendor contacts, RFQ-ready corrector spec sheet.

Also: ROADMAP.md v0.1.1 section (+2024→2026 date fix) and three evidence-based corrections to INTES_MICRO_HISTORY.md / SOURCING_RESEARCH.md.

Part 2 of the v0.1.1 main-only consolidation.

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Note

Low Risk
Documentation-only changes with no runtime or CI code paths; risk is limited to planning commitments and factual corrections in research docs.

Overview
Adds design/optical/OPTICAL_ENGINEERING_ROADMAP.md, shifting the program from “buy a used Intes tube” to custom 180 mm Mak-Newt optics with the same assertion→proof→tender pattern as mechanical design. It documents a four-point make-vs-buy gate, CTE-class primary spec (with Sitall as opportunistic), dissolution of the MN76/MN78 f-ratio fork toward ~f/6.5–f/7, phases P0–P6, a $6.5k–12k committed optics envelope, seed prescriptions, and BP-06 RFQ structure.

ROADMAP.md is updated for v0.1.1 (August 2026): consolidation checklist marked done and open optics milestones (P0 packets through P3 tender).

Evidence fixes in docs/INTES_MICRO_HISTORY.md and docs/research/SOURCING_RESEARCH.md: Intes production ended 2018 (not “still producing 2025”), MN76 ≠ MN78, corrector-blank scarcity reframed as cost/lead-time (not regulatory impossibility), refreshed dealer/sourcing notes, and closed direct-Russia purchase action items.

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f-ratio mismatches 180 mm class

Medium Severity

Seed cases label f/6 (FL 1224) and f/8 (FL 1632) while §1.2 fixes aperture class at 180 mm. Those focal lengths imply f/6.8 and f/9.1 at 180 mm (they match f/6 and f/8 only if divided by 204 mm clear aperture), yet §4 depth-of-focus and sampling treat f/6–f/8 against the 180 mm mission.

Additional Locations (1)

• design/optical/OPTICAL_ENGINEERING_ROADMAP.md#L58-L61

 

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