Tick anything you already have, in any order. Quests unlock once this is done.
Amateur societies have run these for a century and have the test equipment. Grinding a mirror alone, with no way to test it, is a very long shot in the dark.
Find a telescope making group2 things left above. Quests are real things you go and do, so they only make sense once you have what you need.
First one waiting: Rough grind a curve into the blank