The NAOJ-TIO Telescope Structure design team meeting at the Mitsubishi Electric Corp. facility in Amagasaki, Japan on February 16 and 17, 2023 (JST).
Overview of meetings including MELCO-NAOJ-TIO teams held at the Mitsubishi Electric Corp. facility in Amagasaki, Japan on February 16 and 17, 2023 (JST).
An international panel of reviewers from MELCO-NAOJ-TIO, outside the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (MELCO) facility in Amagasaki, Japan, met for important production readiness reviews for the TMT’s Structure. The reviews were attended by leading scientists and engineers from both continents, on February 16 and 17, 2023 (JST).
The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) Telescope Structure serves as the framework onto which all other subsystems (mirrors, science instruments, cables, refrigerant lines, laser guide star facility, etc.) get attached. The telescope structure is divided into two main rotating systems: the azimuth and the elevation structures. The azimuth structure supports the elevation structure and the multiple scientific instruments located on the two Nasmyth platforms. The telescope, about 50 meters tall and 55 meters wide, will be enclosed within a very compact dome. It will weigh close to 3000 metric tons and will be capable of completing a full azimuth rotation in less than 3 minutes.
On February 6 2023, TMT had the pleasure to welcome Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan, the Indian Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington DC to its Project Office and technical lab. in California. During her visit, she met with Bob Kirshner, Executive Director of TIO, and several TMT scientists to discuss the important scientific and technological cooperation between TMT partners in India and the United States.
Mr S. Sriram, India-TMT Coordination Center (ITCC) engineer, inspects the roundel SN050 in its shipping crate after its arrival at the India-TMT Optics Fabrication Facility (ITOFF) near Bengaluru. The roundel is the second roundel produced by ITCC that will become a mirror segment of TMT Primary Mirror.
Second TMT roundel polished by India TMT team during on-site inspection at the Coherent facility in California. TMT roundel (SN050) is the second TMT blank converted to a roundel with aspheric polishing by ITCC. SN050 will become a finished segment of TMT's 492 Primary Mirror Segment.
The US-ELTP group picture in the Seattle Convention Center for AAS 241 in Seattle, Washington.
TMT SSA Module Acceptance Test Tool (SMATT) The tool will be used to check each TMT primary mirror segment support. Front view of the SMATT force field test plate after assembly of SMATT and SSA. The hardware combination is mounted on top of a tiltable trolley and electrical cables are connected to the control units.
Integration of TMT Segment Support Assembly (SSA) and part of SSA Module Acceptance Test Tool – August 2022. TMT SSA system is installed for the first time on top of the aluminum segment test plate at Westend facility in the Netherlands. From left, TNO engineer Rik van den Hoeven- (Integration Test Engineer), Alan Tubb (TMT), Scott Page (TMT) and Nico van der Heiden- (TNO Project Manager)
Exploring Your Universe (EYU) 2022, at UCLA on Nov. 6, 2022 - TMT booth at EYU science fair was very busy all day and offered fun games and activities with the VR, gravity well and UV beads -
AstroDay 2022 in Kona, Hawaiʻi on Nov. 5, 2022. TMT booth at AstroDay offered fun moon-related activities
