After three days of work we are done with Bemco testing. We drove the ACS and computer boxes up to 55 °C and down to -30 °C with all the systems working.
Back in the other High Bay, the reaction wheel, the elevation drive and the inner frame were mounted and the cryostat was opened. Not too bad for rainy day in East Texas.
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- Laura and Steve checking everything is working before starting the Bemco test
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- Barth checking on Laura’s SPIE paper
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- Barth checking the Bemcon chamber right before Joseph (our CSBF engineer) closes it
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- The vintage pump of the Bemco chamber. I love Bemco testing.
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- Bemco testing in the screens
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- We had to check constantly if the motors were still motoring, and the boxes were still boxing
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- Natalie through the Bemco chamber window
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- Laura SPIE’s while Steve is Bemcoing. Real scientists do…
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- Natalie checks the connection of the gyro cables
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- Steve’s hand trick
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- Bemco is about patience and waiting to see when things are going to fail. But we did great!!!
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- The temperatures decreasing as the Bemco chamber is taking them down down and down
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- Bemco in action
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- Chris, the other CSBF engineer helping us with the Bemco
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- Laura waits for the rain to be over
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- Back in the East Highbay Nick gets ready to mount the reaction wheel
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- Reaction wheel and elevation drive motors being heated after getting wet when taken out of the Bemco
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- Barth updates Immigration and other polarizing issues
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- Natalie checks the ACS in search for the connections that may have caused the sudden death in gyro2.
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- Silver-teflon tape: US$2000 per roll. A nice present from the CSBF (a few segments, we had to return the roll)
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- “Wow, I haven’t seen one of those before” and Steve with the Mexican’s hat
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- Team Matt ready to work on the cryostat
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- Laura looks at the screen and you can almost guess her thoughts: “Is Brazil going to win the world cup?”, “Is South Africa going to make it to the second round”, “What is missing on my SPIE paper”, “Why am I a human and not a butterfly or a bald eagle?”
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- Connection checking on the ACS after Bemco testing
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- It takes a Nick to hold the reaction wheel
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- Team Natalie mounts the reaction wheel
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- Tristan cleaning the dusty surface of the reaction wheel
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- Tristan taking some time off in the trees
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- I had to include one more picture, it looks so cool. I’m proud of my work.
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- Pivot controler box covered with the super-awesome silver-teflon tape.
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- Steve takes soldering seriously
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- Elevation drive pow wow
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- Natalie, Queen of the pyramid!
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- Mounting the elevation drive in the inner frame.
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- The inner frame is located in place and we are ready to populate the gondola.
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