Meanwhile in Hawaiʻi…
Category: Working at Keck
Working atop The Mountain
Climbing the Stairs
Wait! What is broken?!?
The elevator.
It has been broken for two days. The contractor is here to fix it, but this is the day Olivier and I need to get a job done in AO. It would have to be the Keck 2 elevator, not the Keck 1 elevator. Which telescope are we working in today? Keck 2 of course.
This will mean climbing the stairs to the Nasmyth deck, all five flights of stairs. Five flights does not sound too bad, until you remember that the bottom of these particular stairs start at 13,600ft above sea level. Climbing these stairs is guaranteed to get your heart pumping and remind you of the consequences of every one of those 13,600ft.
The job? Re-installing one of the mirrors in the rotator that was re-aluminized earlier in the week. A delicate, fiddly job that would take much of the day. There will, of course, be missing parts, needed tools, or other small things that we will have to get during the course of the job. Things that are at the bottom of those stairs.
Every trip up and down would be planned, this is not the time to remember that you also needed an #8-32 nut, after the climb. No forgotten items, everything thought through twice. We got the job done, a critical bit of optics safely secured back in the mount and correctly aligned.
In the end I only had to climb the stairs five times through the day.
That was quite enough, thank you.
</rant>
Soldering Small
It is always another little problem. But, on occasion, a problem is an excuse to have a little fun while getting the job done.
Enter an old WYKO interferometer with a composite video output. The gear is a critical piece of kit used to monitor the deformable mirror used in the adaptive optics system. The images from the interferometer are analyzed by a windows PC with special software. Windows, as in Windows 98!
Updating this computer has been on our to-do list for way too long. Time to get it done… When installing the new computer and video board to update this system I found that the video quality was quite bad. It would tear about halfway down the image, something wrong with the horizontal sync? Looking back it was not great on the old system, but usable. On the new system it was just not going to work.
Testing TBAD with UAVSAR
So we have a system that will detect aircraft and shutter the laser.
In theory TBAD will detect the TCAS transponder on an aircraft, turning off our AO Laser to avoid illuminating the aircraft. This work via means of a directional antenna mounted to the front of the telescope that is able to detect the 1090MHz TCAS transmissions from the aircraft. The system has been operational for the better part of a year, mounted to the Keck 2 telescope. It operates all the time, whether or not we are using the laser.
The problem is that there is very little air traffic over the summit, it is even more rare that a plane goes directly in front of the telescope while we are observing. It is these test cases we need to prove the system, an aircraft passing through where the laser would be. Though the first year of running the system we logged a total of one detection that would have resulted in a laser shutter event. We need more test cases if we are to prove to the FAA that the system works as designed.
Employment at Keck – Adaptive Optics Specialist
The W. M. Keck Observatory operates the world’s two largest optical/infrared telescopes located on the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. Both telescopes are equipped with AO systems which are routinely used in both Natural and Laser Guide Star (LGS) AO modes. These systems have been extremely productive scientifically. New, more capable, systems are currently in design and development including the implementation of a new laser, new laser launch telescope, near-infrared tip-tilt sensor and a facility to provide simultaneous AO-corrected point spread function estimates to support science data reduction.
The AO Scientist will also participate in improvements to the existing AO facilities including performance optimization and characterization.
Minimum requirements for this position include: Ph.D. level degree in adaptive optics or high angular resolution astronomy or equivalent experience; three years of relevant experience in the development and/or use of AO for astronomical research; two years of work experience in instrumentation development or operations; a broad understanding of the multiple engineering disciplines needed to develop AO systems; and experience in data visualization and analysis. Desirable qualifications include: a proven track record in the development or optimization of AO systems for astronomy; demonstrated leadership skills; optical, mechanical and controls design and engineering expertise; expertise in the development of the high level software needed to operate and optimize AO systems; and previous Observatory experience.
The following skills are required: Excellent written and oral English communication skills, ability to work independently and as part of a team, strong project and time management skills; ability to set priorities and meet deadlines with flexibility.
This position requires you to submit your resume on-line at: http://keckobservatory.iapplicants.com/ViewJob-324991.html with your cover letter that states why you are uniquely qualified for the position.
Additional information about WMKO and this position may be found on our web site at www.keckobservatory.org
Postcard from the Summit – Tools
Postcard from the Summit – Hard Headed
Working the Weather
One of the little side jobs I have gotten assigned at Keck is updating the weather station. This involves replacing all of the weather monitoring equipment that allows the operators to keep an eye on conditions around the telescopes. This gear is absolutely critical, giving the operators the data they need to protect our equipment, including the irreplaceable mirrors.
It has been fun to learn about measuring temperature, humidity, dew point and more. It seems so simple at first, but the complications of getting a good reading are subtle. Passive instrument shelters, active ventilation, instrument positioning, calibration and more. Issues that can make a good instrument give bad data.
Last week I installed a new barometric sensor. This was the last part of the existing weather instrument suite that needed to be replaced. I got lucky, it was a great day on the summit, sunny with just a modest breeze. Just the day to spend a couple hours hanging off the weather mast in a climbing harness rewiring a junction box for the new cables. A few holes to drill, a few bolts, a couple cables… done!
My next item is to install an anemometer. We have not had an operational anemometer in many years and our observing staff has made it abundantly clear that they want an anemometer. Not that this one will be easy, it is a bit of a challenge to get a decent wind reading anywhere near a 100ft diameter dome. This challenge will be a bit more involved, and involve some good engineering fun. Time to learn about measuring wind-speed and how to do it right. Looking forward to the next part of the plan!
Visiting the Summit of Mauna Kea
Visiting the summit of Mauna Kea is high on many visitor’s to-do list when coming to the island. The summit region is spectacularly beautiful, even after six years of visiting several times a week I still find it so. My habit is to drive, or to ride shotgun in order to enjoy the view. I keep a camera at hand, ready for the inevitable situations where beautiful is transformed to spectacular with a well placed cloud or shaft of sunlight.
Continue reading “Visiting the Summit of Mauna Kea”
Employment Opportunity at Keck – Senior Mechanical Engineer
W. M. Keck Position Announcement…
The W. M. Keck Observatory seeks a Senior Mechanical Engineer to work under the direction of the TSD Senior Engineer to provide mechanical engineering and project management support, to develop new observatory capabilities and to upgrade existing observatory systems. This position is responsible for design, analysis, specification, and construction of high technology mechanical and opto-mechanical systems for precision telescope operations.
- B. S. Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.
- >8 years of Mechanical Engineering experience, some experience with opto-mechanical devices, 3 years of which are in project/subcontract management and reporting.
- Track record of precision designs of small and large scale mechanical components.
- Competence with 3D computer aided design, finite element analysis, design for assembly and maintainability, product life cycle management, and reliability engineering.
- Engineering process and configuration management experience.
- Experienced use of modern manufacturing techniques.
To learn more and to apply please go to: http://keckobservatory.iapplicants.com/ViewJob-359943.html