Update 22 June 2010: I’ve added some images acquired from Juan’s camera (of the evening’s barbecue).
The scoop and star cameras were removed yesterday. This was to facilitate gyro box orientation tests, and for mounting the cryostat. Also mounted were the receiver crate, DAS (data acquisition system), a new photodiode sun sensor, a transmitter, and the magnetometer was given a mount.
Some noise and polarization tests were done before the cryostat’s journey, and culminated with bursting the expensive polarizing grid.
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- Andrei drilling holes for the PSS
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- The PSS in place, complete with tape over pinhole and really sharp corner
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- The pivot was temporarily removed to get the scoop off
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- Line-of-sight transmitter placed on the bottom, to see the ground
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- Elio drills holes to mount it more securely
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- The scoop’s final moments of attachitude
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- Scoop strapped to crane, then it comes off
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- They’re looking at something. Nobody remembers what, but I like the picture
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- The star camera’s frog cap
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- After being left to fend for herself too long, Natalie has gone feral
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- Then she wields Baffy bashily
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- Another bashing device is Nick’s disturbingly dented carbon fiber club
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- Noise tests are fun
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- Polarization tests with a grid and Tristan’s chopper hidden inside some eccosorb
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- The grid had a bit of vacuum inside and popped when pulled off. Oops!
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- The gondola does some head banging as Natalie and Laura (or is it Laura and Natalie?) orthogonalize the gyro box
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- The cryostat leaves its little cart behind
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- After switching cranes the cryostat is lifted over the inner frame
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- Cryostat hanging over its spot
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- Elio climbs up to help guide during lowering
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- Elio guides the cryostat to directly over its opening
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- Lowering begins
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- Most of us just watch
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- But Tony goes up to help keep the cables clear
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- Then Matt joins so three pairs of eyes ensure nothing bad happens
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- Lowering continues very slowly
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- At some point, Elio took over the crane
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- And Tristan mans one of the chains. He hasn’t moved them in a while
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- A the base, three rollers hold the cryostat in position
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- Nick twists the rollers up to their position
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- Natalie drills a base for the magnetometer
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- The receiver and DAS are mounted, but not cabled
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- Tony works in his crawlspace behind the receiver
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- Matt acts as grillmaster again
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- The “building” gets pretty smoky
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- Lorenzo approves
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- Lorenzo and I
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- Lots of empty plates, the sign of a good meal
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- The other table has done a good job too (especially Tony)
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- Cholula. Tony asserts that the woman looks like Juan’s mother
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