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The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) has announced a formal
agreement enabling Taiwanese astronomers to participate in the North
American component of the international ALMA partnership, alongside
American and Canadian astronomers. Taiwan's efforts will be led by the
Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA).
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High in the Atacama region of northern Chile one of the worlds most
advanced telescopes has just passed a major milestone. The first of
many state-of-the-art antennas has been handed over to the Atacama
Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) project. ...
July 7: An ALMA transporter moves a VertexRSI antenna for the first time, transporting it from inside the assembly building to an outside pad.
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The second VertexRSI antenna is shown in the Site Erection Facility.
This antenna's major assembly occurred in November; the antenna parts had arrived in Chilean ports in September. The third VertexRSI pedestal arrived in Mejillones, the port for Antofagasta Chile on December 8. The upper 'inverted umbrella' portion which supports the accurately machined surface is expected in port on December 23. This is the third antenna delivered to Chile by VertexRSI under contract with NRAO/AUI. It joins three antennas delivered by Mitsubishi Electric Company (Melco) of Japan; the fourth Melco antenna also arrived in port last week. At the close of 2007, seven ALMA telescopes have been delivered to Chile, about one tenth of the total. Assembly and testing of these telescopes continues at the Operations Support Facility.
(Note: To see a larger view, move your mouse over the image)
The high performance VertexRSI unit-1 antenna underwent fast motion demonstrations for the ALMA Board on October 31, 2007 at the ALMA Operations Support Facility in Chile. The antenna will soon be undergoing surface tests using an ALMA holography system and pointing tests using the ALMA Optical Pointing Telescope. During the demonstration, holographic tests were underway on the Mitsubishi Electric Company 12m antenna, which can be seen in the background (left center). North American ALMA Project Scientist Al Wootten (in hard hat) watched while Instrument Scientist Darrel Emerson (not shown) worked with the holography system. Five ALMA 12m antennas are now assembled in Chile and parts for an additional two have arrived in Chilean ports.
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A view from the holography tower of the Melco antenna assembly area, with its three assembled 12m antennas.
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over the image)
The first ALMA transporter passes its initial operational tests.
From Cassiopeia, a pulication of CASCA. Contents:
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) reached a major milestone on March 2, when two ALMA prototype antennas were first linked together as an integrated system to observe an astronomical object.
The milestone achievement, technically termed "First Fringes," came at the ALMA Test Facility (ATF) on the grounds of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's (NRAO) Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope in New Mexico.
Faint radio waves emitted by the planet Saturn were collected by the two ALMA antennas, then processed by new, state-of-the-art electronics to turn the two antennas into a single, high-resolution telescope system, called an interferometer.The successful Saturn observation began at 7:13 p.m., U.S. Mountain Time Friday (0213 UTC Saturday). The planet's radio emissions at a frequency of 104 GigaHertz (GHz) were tracked by the ALMA system for more than an hour.
Read the NRAO Press Release
Members of the NSF panel that is reviewing the NAASC/ALMA operations plan visited the JAO office in Santiago, and the ALMA site in San Pedro. They were accompanied by Chris Carilli from the NAASC, and three representatives from the NSF. The committee was impressed by both the scale of the project, and the very high level of activity in Chile.
The JAO office is always busy, with local staff and international visitors. Construction at the OSF is in full-swing, with much of the back-up structure for the main operations support buildings, as well as for the Vertex antenna building, being completed. Concrete has been poured in a number of the antenna pads at the OSF. A medical staff is also present at the OSF. The road to the site is complete, with long term plans to pave the part from the OSF to San Pedro. Construction on the control building at the AOS is well evolved, with the outer shell of the building complete, and many of the interior walls. The committee visited the APEX telescope, and APEX support facility in Sequitor.
They also visited Cerro Chico, and drove to the center of the array. The highlight of the trip was the spectacular view of Comet McNaught from outside of San Pedro (photo from the OSF above).
Last modified: Mon February 6, 2006