[mmaimcal] From SMA WEEKLY CALENDAR OF THE SUBMILLIMETER ARRAY PROJECT

[Al Wootten]

Hmmm.  I didn't realize that wvr installation at the SMA was this imminent.

First review of DISH by a group of radioastronomers I've read...

Al
******************************** MILESTONES *********************************

[latest changes(*): JUL 15]
                 
AUG  3, 2001     Install receivers in Antenna 5

AUG  6, 2001*    Deploy Antenna 5 to a pad with receivers installed (Fifth 
                   element of array)

AUG  6, 2001     Install 183 GHz wvrs in Antennas 4 and 5

AUG  6 - AUG 22     Martina Wiedner, Hilo/MK, testing, WVR 

I missed DISH in CV.  Perhaps those of you in other cities will catch it--

A group from the Hawaii site went to the opening night of the movie "Dish"
at the Palace theater in Hilo on July 14. This Australian made movie is about 
the role played by the Parkes radio telescope in the recovery of television 
images from the Apollo 11 landing on the moon in July 1969. According to 
local experts many of the events depicted are factual. Radio astronomers
will love this flick! The beautiful 210 ft radio telescope is shown from every
angle and in every configuration. At one point the director climbs aboard the 
lip of the dish from the ground and riding it to the zenith. The movie reaches 
two dramatic climaxes. At one point Parkes suffers a power failure, which puts 
it off the air for a while and destroys the computer memory. The skeletal 
staff of 4 hard working astronomers attempt to calculate on the blackboard 
the position of Apollo 11. They just can't get it right until the NASA 
representative comes up with the brilliant idea that they should just scan 
around the position of the moon. It worked! Next, at the critical moment when 
Neil Armstrong is about to step onto the lunar surface, Parkes apparently is 
the only tracking station ready and in position to receive the telemetry. 
However, the wind is gusting to 60 mph, way above the 30 mph limit for 
telescope operation. The director decides to throw caution to the wind, so 
to speak, and orders the dish  to resume tracking. They acquire the signal 
and TV watchers around the world the world catch Armstrong in the nick of 
time. Of course, there is a romantic side story. It turns around whether the 
ace technical-geek can summon the courage to ask the beautiful daughter of 
the director for a date. I will not reveal the ending to this subplot. This 
movie is rated PG-13, not suitable for children under 13 because of all the 
Aussie cursing at every minor mishap. However the control room reconstruction 
is wonderful: 1960 vintage equipment of oscilloscopes, big knobs and nixie 
tubes. There are a number of steel plates reinforcing the wall of the control 
room, which, according to Ant, was installed after the structural damage done 
by tracking in the high wind.