Particle physicists are familiar with the trials of moving large,
unwieldy pieces of equipment on epic voyages around the globe.
They are not alone.
The 24 ton, 8.1 m mirror of the
Gemini South telescope was fused from ultra-low-expansion glass
in the US last year. It travelled by ship to Paris for polishing, then
in February it was transported by barge, then container ship to
Chile. On arrival there, the transport difficulties were not over.
On a four-day road trip to the 3250 m summit of Cerro Pachón,
one of the tunnels had to be widened by 2 m so that the mirror
could pass.
As its name suggests, Gemini is a twin. This
whole rigmarole was also carried out for the northern hemisphere
telescope, Gemini North, in Hawaii.
Partners for the project
are the UK, the US, Canada, Chile, Australia, Brazil and
Argentina. Gemini South is expected to see first light before the
end of the year. Gemini North became operational last year
(CERN Courier September1999 p16).
