Straight
out of Thunderbirds, the first of two enormous vehicles for transporting telescopes
has become operational, seen here in an artist's depiction.
The
Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Observatory in Chile
will consist of 66 telescopes, designed with configurability in mind. To that
end, the gigantic ALMA antenna transporter is required to move the 126.7-ton (115-metric
ton) antennas and position them accurately within tenths of
inches of their targets.
The
giant "truck" possesses 28 tires. It measures 32.8 feet (10 m) wide, 65.6
feet (20 m) long and 19.7 feet (6 m) high, weighs 143 tons (130 metric tons)
and has as much power as two Formula 1 engines.
The
ALMA international observatory is currently undergoing construction on the
high-altitude Chajnantor site in Chile, composed initially of 66 high-precision
telescopes, operating at wavelengths of 0.3 to 9.6 mm. The ALMA antennas will combine
electronically, and provide astronomical observations equivalent to a single
large telescope of tremendous size and resolution. ALMA will be able to probe
the universe at millimeter and sub-millimeter wavelengths with accuracy up to
ten times better than the Hubble
Space Telescope. It will also complement images made with European
Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere's Very
Large Telescope Interferometer.
The
telescopes can be moved across the high-altitude desert Chajnantor plateau,
covering antenna configurations from 164 yards (150 meters) to 9.3 miles (15
kilometers). Changing the relative positions of the antennas will act like
adjusting the zoom lens on a camera.
To
do so, the transporters must climb from an altitude of 9514 feet (2900 m) to (16404
feet) 5000 m with their loads, utilizing two 500 kW diesel engines. Driving to
the base camp involves special care, as driving the road downhill required a
special brake system. As the transporters will be operated at an altitude with reduced oxygen levels, safety devices had to be installed to
protect both personnel and equipment.
At
the high altitude site of 5000 m, the two engines will lose about half of their
power because of the lower oxygen content. The ALMA transporters will be capable
of moving at the speed of 12.4 mph (20 km/h) when empty and 7.4 mph (12 km/h)
when loaded with an antenna. The transporters can be driven from the cabin like
a truck, or controlled from a portable instrument panel like a toy car.
-- European Organisation
for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere and SPACE.com
Staff
Credit: ESO
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