Mount Hopkins, AZ
Smithsonian Institution, Multiple Mirror Telescope
Scope/Solutions
With the advent of economical large spun cast mirrors, the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Arizona wished to convert the Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) to a telescope with a single 6.5 m dia. mirror to retain its position as one of the world’s most powerful instruments. SGH developed the drawings and specifications for this modification.
Highlights of SGH’s work on this project include the following:
- Developed conversion concepts and the final designs of the new Optics Support Structure (OSS) and mirror cell structure
- Designed a system that allows for in-place aluminizing of the primary mirror by lifting in a vacuum head and using the mirror cell as the bottom part of vacuum chamber
- Designed the required modifications to the rotating observatory building to accommodate the larger OSS
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Project Summary
1995
Completion Date
Solutions
New Construction
Services
Advanced Analysis
Markets
Science & Defense
Client(s)
Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Key team members
Additional Projects
West
Moffett Federal Airfield Hangar 1
Constructed by the U. S. Navy in 1933 to support its lighter-than-air aviation program, Moffett Federal Airfield was transferred to NASA after being decommissioned in 1994. SGH provided building enclosure and materials science services for the project.
West
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Instrumentation Integration & Testing Facility
With its new Instrumentation Integration & Testing Facility, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) expands its capabilities for exploring and documenting ocean health with robotic technologies. SGH consulted on the building enclosure design for the project.