A great deal of effort was put into fixing small problems with the tracker software and hardware last week. By the end of the week we were able to run a mock 97 point test and even a mock trajectory. There are still some small problems using the GPS timing signal which is needed for running a true trajectory but this is a significant step forward. This week we will have two sets of engineers from Austin. One group will work on the 97 point test which will map out the tracker sphere in space and tie that sphere to the mirror truss through the use of the laser tracker. This will be done at night so that significant temperature changes do not alter the results. The corrections to tie the tracker and mirror truss spheres together will be the first components of our mount model.

The second team will be installing the mounts for the Video Alignment Telescope and the DMI on the corrector. Once these items are in place and we can run trajectories we will will begin to tie the tracker sphere to the central mirror and then refine the mount model further.

The contractors did not begin the “vault” cement pour as expected this last Friday. Delays caused by the significant heat and a small delay in the rebar arrival have put that off until this coming Wednesday.

The night operations team has been able to get all of the mirror with current electronics installed into the stack. As soon as more SAMS (Segment Alignment and Maintenance System) electronics cards come in from the contractor the remaining segments will be brought into the array.