What is known as shutdown happens only for a few days. A “blackout” that interrupts the power supply of the world’s largest radio telescope to start maintenance. A process that this year took place between January 29 and February 5.
“This maintenance is mainly performed to ensure our instruments continued reliability and accuracy . This, in turn, allows the collection of high-quality data throughout the year”, says Stefan Gairing, our Planner & Coordinator for Array Operations & Maintenance.
Cristián Egaña, a supervisor of the ADE-IMG group, who is also in charge of ensuring that the procedure is carried out safely, mentions that among these ALMA improvements are the switchgears and transformers. “These are pieces of equipment that receive annual maintenance and are key to energizing the antennas, cameras and weather stations”.
Another colleague who joined the shutdown is Francisco Belmar, a fiber rerouting electronic technician at the AOS Patch Panel. His work was related to the arrangement of the fibers in the panel. During the year, they get tangled up like a authentic “noodle soup”. Therefore, “we remove all the fibers and reroute them so everything is in order”.
Although access to the antennas could be restricted in the event of a snowfall, Stefan Gairing explains that everything is meticulously planned. “To mitigate this risk, we put the array in a compact configuration. This proactive approach significantly reduces the time needed to remove the snow and facilitate access”.
But this time, Chajnantor’s temporarily overcast weather was friendlier. “Overall, the experience was positive, as we were able to follow the proposed plan (…) In addition, we did not face adverse weather conditions that affected the continuity of the maintenance”, concludes Cristián Egaña, highlighting the commitment and excellence of the team to keep ALMA’s eyes on the Universe.
Bravoooo!!!