While I was in Philadelphia (a couple months ago now…I’m still posting old pictures), everyone back in Toronto was working really hard to get the gondola pointing, the star camera mounted, and sun shield completely assembled. All this in preparation for the PIC (which can be thought of as “the pick”), at which NASA decides who is ready to go to Antarctica in the coming season. We wanted pictures of the complete gondola to show how awesomely ready we were.
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- Labcoat (a superhero vaguely resembling Natalie) help Barth mount the star camera
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- Jamil and Laura look on, in awe of the amazing Labcout
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- In no time at all, Labcoat is mounting the baffle
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- The sun shields require some last minute touchups before assembly
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- The main structure of the sun shields is assembled flat on the ground
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- The pivot is then attached to its shelf, and the cable to the bottom of the shield
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- And then, like a barn, they are raised.
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- Also like barn raisings, everyone shows up to help raise sun shields
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- Once raised, the sun shields are lifted off the ground (like only the floatiest of barns)
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- Then, the sun shields have to be carefully positioned over the gondola
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- Positioning the shields is tricky work
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- At last, the crane has dragged the sun shields into place
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- Another break for marveling at the job well done
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- To remove the crane from the shields a brave soul (Juan) needs to climb up on a ladder
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- And he stops to pose for a picture
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- And then descends, with the crane now gone
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- A collection of parts for attaching solar panel holders to the sun shields
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- A couple solar panels test fit in their holder
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- The day’s raising isn’t done yet: there’s still the scoop to attach
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- Scoop mount on the front of the frame
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- The scoop is attached, as seen by a tiny person
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- And as seen by a giant person
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- The whole thing is cool enough that the giant took several pictures (note: actual photographer may not be giant)
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- The pivot and universal joint hang again from the crane’s blue ring
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- Time for general pictures: the ACS BOB
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- The Computer Box and Watchdog
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- Together, they are the heart of BLASTpol (Cryostat is the cold, cold, eyes and the preamp/DAS the brains)
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- The star cameras are some strage extra eyes. BLAST is a triclops.
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- The upper balance tank
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- The super-awesome bitty box, which doesn’t get to fly since it’s replaced by the SIP
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- And, to wrap up, one more tiny person photo of the whole thing
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- And, last of all, a shot of the whole thing taken by an average sized photographer
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