Grazing incidence optics for the U.S. High-Resolution X-Ray Astronomy Program.

The major telescopes in this program are the one flown on the Einstein or HEAO-B satellite in 1978 and the one planned for the AXAF which should be launched in late 1995. The x-ray performance of the Einstein mirror is reviewed briefly, and its surface properties are inferred from a combination of its x-ray properties and the information available from the limited fabrication metrology of that era. The improvements necessary for satisfying the AXAF specification are summarized. Much of this technology already has been demonstrated in the TMA program, and this progress is reviewed.