Subject: 3.5m returned to science operations w manual tertiary rotation

From: Ed Turner

Submitted: Sat, 6 Dec 2003 11:25:28 -0500 (EST)

Message number: 726 (previous: 725, next: 727 up: Index)

The APO 3.5-meter will return to scheduled science operations tonight, Dec 
6, following repair of what turned out to be relatively extensive 
malfunctions and damage in the secondary motion mechanisms and supports.  
That this work was accomplished with the loss of only five nights of 
scheduled science operations is due to the long hours of work and great 
dedication of the APO engineering and operation staff.

After re-assembly and mounting the tertiary automated rotation system has 
proved inoperable.  Tertiary rotation will have to be accomplished 
manually until it can be repaired; this will take roughly a half hour 
instead of the few minutes needed for automated rotation.  By good 
fortune, only one such rotation is required in the next week by the 
existing schedule.  That one occasion is between first and second half 
tonight (Dec 6); two Observing Specialists will be on duty in order to 
make the operation go as quickly as possible tonight.

Ed Turner


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