Questar Corporation

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Questar Corporation is a New Hope , Pennsylvania- based company that has been manufacturing Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes since 1954 .

Company history

The Questar Corporation was founded in 1950 by Lawrence Braymer (1901–1965) with the aim of developing and bringing onto the market optical devices for the amateur astronomy sector, scientific circles and industry. In 1954 he brought his first amateur telescope, the Questar 3 ½ inch (90 mm) Maksutov reflector telescope onto the market, which is still available today (as of 2012). The US aerospace authority NASA used the Questar 3 ½-inch telescope in both the Gemini program for earth photos and the Apollo program for exploring the moon. One of the best-known customers was Wernher von Braun , he bought one of these telescopes in 1959. After the death of the founder L. Braymer, the company was taken over by his wife and later by Dr. Douglas M. Knight continued. In 2001, she was by Donald J. Bandurick , CEO of the National Engineering and Manufacturing Co. continued.

Questar products

Questar 3.5 ″

The Questar 3.5 ″ telescope was mainly produced for the private market for amateur astronomy and animal observation. Additional products are:

  • 7 inch Maksutov telescopes
  • Monitoring devices
  • Microscope attachments for Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes for close-up photography in research and in the industrial sector for production and quality control
  • the QMax, a portable solar spectrometer for connection to the Maksutov-Cassegrains
  • A limited production of 12 "(300 mm) telescopes. Some of these devices, which are mounted on special mounts, are used by NASA to observe (rocket) launches.

Questar does not manufacture the optical elements of their telescopes itself. The previous supplier was Cave Optical Company , Long Beach, California. The main manufacturer today is JR Cumberland, Inc. Precision Optics , Marlow Heights, Maryland.

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