Closing Theo

(Backlog from November 7-8)

With all the telescope inserts installed, the bottom of Theo (our vacuum vessel/cryostat) is ready to close. On the top side, the half-wave plates need to be installed in their rotation mechanisms above the inserts. Then closing proceeds there as well.

To keep Theo cold, progressively colder nested layers of vapour-cooled shield are used. These get cooled by the vapour from boiling liquid helium (the vapour is still very cold), and are separated by vacuum and shiny multi-layer insulation. Installing the shield close-outs and insulation takes a lot of long and somewhat tedious labour. Plus lots of tape. The job was finished by a small team on the following day, while the rest of us took a Sunday off.

Majestic Natalie

Bandit Bill

He's cleaning epoxy out the the separated gondola tube

All six telescopes installed

Seen from below, with heat straps and electrical cables

Sean

I have no recollection of what he's trying to communicate

Ed tapes up filters at the bottom of a vacuum window

Johanna works on the top side

Primarily testing half-wave plate rotation mechanisms

Anne closes up the bottom

This is one of two vapour-cooled shield layers (from formerly liquid helium) that keep SPIDER cold

Sasha prepares filters

Each VCS layer has filters on the business end of the telescope

Jamil and John balance the reaction wheel

Half-wave plate installation

With Sean and Johanna

More bottom closing

It's a long and tedious process

Ziggy rocking his overalls

As he test fits filters with top-dome insulation

John and the half-wave plates

All the HWP people pose with their work, before it gets covered

Sean's turn

And Johanna

John takes photos, and sets up a timelapse video

Cynthia and her SPIDER shirt

On the bottom

Sean (and I) test HWP rotators, with a temporary electronics setup

Ed attaches windows to the top dome

Anne modifies multi-layer insulation

It's new and lacks attachment holes

So many KF clamps

The tube

Down SPiDER's unused center port

Completed top side

(Except the center port is not yet covered)

Team ladder: Sasha and Lorenzo

Closing the top. For which Lorenzo's tall-person powers are useful

Cynthia and shininess

Mega group action shot

Ed tapes

Lots of tape is needed to close up the VCS layers

Lorenzo and Sasha

Anne too

Bill oversees

From the mezzanine

Finishing up

At the end of the day