No huge event happened on the 17th. The weather had been nice (no clouds), so competition for time monopolizing the telescope was fierce. While waiting for my turn, I made some non-BLASTbus hardware for the mount.
I wandered around the telescope for more random pictures, and did the same at the station when I went back that evening. I also caught Justus’s almost finished new chopper: Ze Choppa. As in, “Everyone into ze choppa!”, to be pronounced with Robert’s German accent. (Not to be confused with Schwarzenegger’s “Ahhgh, get to ze choppa!” in Predator.)
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- Mongo Chop
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- When it comes to choppers, bigger is better
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- “Everyone into ze choppa!”
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- Useful illustration
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- Focal plane, recently arrived with Martin’s handcarry (backshort side)
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- Oooh, shiny! Grant removes the cover so I can see inside
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- My vitally important and superbly crafted hardware contribution
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- The PMAC (precision multi-axis controller? used to drive the telescope’s motors) breakout box, with my dongle in top left
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- Limit switches, multi-key locks, big red button, and lots of lights. Fancy
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- Compressor, the heart that keeps a pulse tube running. Noisy
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- Correct orientation of BLASTbus programmer dongle. Useful to very few people, but posted anyway
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- With the last focal plane arrived, assembly of K2 proceeds while K1 cools
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- Sun and a pile of snow. There is a lot of this at the south pole
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- Shadow of the station balcony in another pile of snow
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- Window cover. These (not all decorated) block sun in the summer, and hide never-ending darkness in the winter
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- The greenhouse, for winter freshies
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- It’s sleepy time in the greenhouse, the plants are sleeping with the grow lights off
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- Station hallway. Very interesting. The checkerboard pattern changes colour in different wings
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