Yesterday the long-awaited shipment from Toronto arrived, with a leak-checker, solar panels, and other goodies. After leak-checking, the cryostat was filled with liquid helium. This took several transfers and until after midnight.
Giles had to leave us early. Best wishes Giles.
Dead crickets
All over the highbay, stinking up the place
Giles working the dustpan
With his early departure, this is the only picture I have of him...
The highbay
Seen through the front door, with instagram-ish fog
The telescope
Careful observers will notice that it now has three struts instead of four
New strut holder
And the struts are connected to new mounts on the inner frame, not the mirror itself
HWPR motor
We did some half-wave plate rotator tests
Screwy Canadian screws!
Nobody here has Robertson head screwdrivers
Rolly crate
Opened at last
Wire exercise
Natalie trains to be the very best
LHe fill tube
Nitrogen top-up
You can tell science is happening here
SBSC
The first thing Natalie puts together from the Toronto shipment
Liquid helium
Tyr checks the liquid level in the fill dewar
Helium filling
More helium filling
With telescope in the background this time
Condensation
The HWPR feedthrough has been protected
Bouldering exercise
Tyr uses the gondola as a climbing gym
Helium "full"
Tristan thumps the helium level in the cryostat. It took several more transfers and until after midnight before everything stabilized.
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