Catchin up...

We’ve been posting on this blog for days, and I realized that anyone reading our posts probably has no idea what it is we’re working with. This is the giant 61” Kuiper Reflector Telescope. The 61” refers to the diameter of the huge paraboloid mirror housed near those large orange supports, facing skyward. The telescope itself tilts up and down, and the orange support frame rotates to sweep the sky. That dome in the background rotates to follow the telescope as it slowly tracks objects across the sky.

There is no way to describe how elegant and massive this thing is. Standing underneath it on the work platform is humbling. The weight of all 5 tons is balanced so exactly that the motors to turn it are no more powerful than a lawnmower, and have such precision that a laser fixed to the end could trace the text of a billboard on the moon.

I didn’t post yesterday as my laptop has become a bit of a town bicycle in terms of capturing video and such. The Internet is constantly monopolized. This reminds me NOT of how “wired in” we are to media, but rather how good humans have become at using the tools available to us. Many problems have come and gone quickly while on this trip thanks to the resourcefulness of a young Carthaginian. Speaking of solving problems, tonight marked some VERY good footage of Jupiter. Zach has posted some of those photos already, so go check his profie. Coty and I cooked up a delicious Spaghetti and meatball dinner complete with garlic bread and dead scorpion. There were compliments all around.

Saturn hasn’t risen yet, so while I blog I have only to play the waiting game. Preliminary ring photos to come soon!