UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA OBSERVATORIES / LICK OBSERVATORY
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA OBSERVATORIES / LICK OBSERVATORY | |
| ALUMINIZING THE 3-METER MIRROR: FEBRUARY 2000 |
| Moving the Mirror to the Aluminizing Chamber | BACK NEXT |
After the glass has been thoroughly cleaned a heavy sling is secured around the mirror's edge. The crane is attached to the sling, and the mirror handling platform slowly tilted until the whole weight of the mirror, supported by the sling, is born by the crane. With the old coating removed, the mirror's honeycomb substructure can clearly be seen. A sheet of plastic protects the freshly cleaned surface from dust. |
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| Once in the vertical position, the mirror--now held entirely by the crane--is swung free of its cell. | |
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| The dome--and with it the crane and mirror--are slowly rotated until the mirror is above the open hatch in the dome floor leading to the aluminizing chamber located in the dome's basement. | Technicans guide the mirror as it is lowered through the hatch and into the chamber below. |
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| Standing atop the red vacuum chamber, two technicians receive the mirror, while two others guide it from above. | The mirror travels the final few feet before being suspended vertically inside the vacuum chamber. There it will receive a final cleaning before the chamber is sealed. |