WE PROPOSE TO BUILD AND TEST A NOVEL CLASS OF LOW-VOLTAGE THIN-FILM ACTUATORS BASED ON ELECTROACTIVE POLYMERS TO ADDRESS THE NEED FOR ADJUSTABLE MIRROR CONTROL IN FUTURE HIGH-RESOLUTION X-RAY MISSIONS. ELECTROACTIVE POLYMERS CAN PRODUCE HIGH STRAINS AT LOW VOLTAGES BEING ABLE TO CORRECT THE DEFORMATIONS THAT SUBMILLIMETER-THICK MIRROR SHELLS WILL EXPERIENCE IN FUTURE X-RAY MISSIONS. FABRICATION OF POLYMER-BASED THIN FILMS IS A LOW-COST SCALABLE TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN BE EASILY TRANSLATED TO PRODUCTION BY INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS. WITH PROCESSING TEMPERATURES BELOW 140 DEGREES CELSIUS ELECTROACTIVE POLYMER FILMS CAN BE DEPOSITED ON GLASS MIRROR SUBSTRATES WITHOUT RISK OF INTRODUCING ADDITIONAL SLUMPING ERRORS. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH HAS FOUR SPECIFIC AIMS: I) PRODUCE ACTUATOR ARRAYS ON 3 X 3 SQUARE INCH MIRROR SUBSTRATES TO VALIDATE THE TECHNOLOGY AND CHARACTERIZE ITS FIGURE CORRECTION CAPABILITIES; II) EXPLORE DIFFERENT FABRICATION TECHNIQUES AND POLYMER MATERIALS FOR PARAMETER PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION; III) CONDUCT AGING THERMAL-VACUUM AND RADIATION HARDNESS TESTS TO VERIFY THE ROBUSTNESS OF THE PROPOSED TECHNOLOGY IN SPACE ENVIRONMENT; AND IV) OPTIMIZE THE GEOMETRY OF ELECTRODE PATTERNS TO PRODUCE UNIAXIAL BIAXIAL AND OUT-OF-PLANE STRAINS THAT CAN REDUCE THE COMPLEXITY OF THE FIGURE CORRECTION SCHEME. THIS RESEARCH PRESENTS A VIABLE AVENUE TO MEET THE REQUIREMENT OF 0.5 ARCSECOND IMAGE RESOLUTION FOR THE OPTICAL ASSEMBLY OF THE LYNX MISSION ONE OF FOUR CONCEPT STUDIES SELECTED IN PREPARATION FOR THE 2020 DECADAL SURVEY. WITH THE HIGH IMAGING RESOLUTION ENABLED BY OUR PROPOSED MIRROR CORRECTION TECHNOLOGY LYNX WILL BE CAPABLE OF DETECTING THE FIRST ACCRETING BLACK HOLES STUDY THE EVOLUTION OF GALAXIES AND GROWTH OF COSMIC STRUCTURE AND VERIFY THE EXISTENCE OF A WARM-HOT INTERGALACTIC MEDIUM (WHIM) THAT COULD ACCOUNT FOR THE LARGE FRACTION OF MISSING BARYONIC MATTER IN THE UNIVERSE.