Monster dish fans

[turbosat]

Since the launch has been postponed again, I suggest you tune to the HQ3 channel on NASA tv, and watch that "Videofile" show. They run it several times a day. They're showing some pictures and time-lapse video of the huge radio telescope at Goldstone. Recently NASA spent a ton of money to do a renovation on it. The thing is 230' diameter, I believe. It's just amazing to me, to see this thing. The video is probably available on the NASA website too, but I didn't try to locate it there.

 

[TRG]

Thats pretty cool! Here in New Mexico we have the VLA (Very Large Array). There are 27 dish's 85 feet each weighing in at 230 tons apiece. Each antenna moves on railroad tracks to allow for a variety of configurations. You might recognize this "monster dish farm" from the movie Contact with Jodi Foster. Looking at the array in pictures and in the theater is one thing, seeing it up close and personal is spectacular.
Very Large Array - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
​

 

[turbosat]

That's great info TRG, they probably need 'em out there , that close to Roswell , hehe. Yes I remember them from Contact too, the movie sucked so bad I threw it away though, wish I'd held onto it now.

 

[TRG]

the movie sucked so bad I threw it away

The book was WAY better.

 

[bama1]

spent many years traveling working on dishes like that around the world. I like being able to stand on the ground to work on what I have now much better