A bit more plausibly near future, but there was a story about how NASA was testing a method to cast perfect lenses from little more than a mold and a liquid mat

A bit more plausibly near future, but there was a story about how NASA was testing a method to cast perfect lenses from little more than a mold and a liquid material. If successful, a spacecraft could unfold a frame, release the lens mirror material, and create a surface tens of meters in diameter, all constructed in space. Undoubtedly significant engineering hurdles, but it could result in an order of magnitude improvement in telescope resolution for cheap. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/ames/nasa-tries-new-ways-fluid-materials-to-build-giant-space-telescopes https://www.nasa.gov/feature/ames/nasa-tries-new-ways-fluid-...