Castors and Wheels give us a glimpse into the Stars
Our fascination with the stars and what’s beyond our universe has become a multi-million dollar business, and in July of 2012 the new Discovery Channel Telescope was completed after nine years of construction.
Our fascination with the stars and what’s beyond our universe has become a multi-million dollar business, and in July of 2012 the new Discovery Channel Telescope was completed after nine years of construction. This new huge telescope cost over fifty three million dollars and is located high on a mountain in Arizona. What we found interesting was how did sensitive component parts get transported and constructed on a mountain top in Arizona? Watching a recent documentary we were fascinated to discover the majority of the telescope components were transported up the mountain on guide rails, utilising the strength and durability of cast iron and steel wheels. The metal flanged wheels were the back bone of the project, as the sensitive equipment needed to move slowly and carefully, without any slip ups. Moving a telescope that is worth fifty three million dollars is no mean feat. The huge mirror which took years to polish was the most sensitive component to move. Transported on castors with rubber wheels, to absorb any floor surface imperfections was a necessity, and then loaded onto rail wheels, flanged cast iron and flanged steel wheels for transport up the mountain.
Using robust steel wheels and polyurethane wheels in astronomy is not a recent invention. From small to large telescopes around the world, the telescope needs to move in any three hundred and sixty degree angle in order to gaze at the night sky. Movement is on a variety of wheels and rollers, to ensure the smooth transition and following of the night sky. Also on major observatories the shutter doors roll on a series of wheels, to expose the telescope to the sky. In Europe work has begun on the world’s largest telescope. The European mega telescope, although located in Chile, will be one of the largest in the world. Its scale if hard to comprehend, however plans are to have a thirty nine meter segmented mirror, which will make this European mega telescope twelve times stronger than any existing telescopes. The building work is expected to cost over one billion pounds and construction to begin in 2020. Construction of telescope components relies on a variety of castors and wheels to move component parts. From sensitive mirrors to steel framework to huge sliding doors on steel wheels, a range of wheels and rollers are utilised.
Even the Mars rover relied on durable cast iron wheels to transport the rover to its launch rocket. It seems the use and application for flanged wheels extends to space and beyond. One specialist field for wheels within this industry, worth noting, has been the manufacturing process of satellites. Within these clean room environments we have found that many specialist companies require the use of electro conductive wheels and anti-static wheels to move components around. Spark free wheels, in dust free environments have been a necessity to protect the sensitive electronic equipment. So with the use of castors and wheels within the astronomical world to ensure manoeuvrability, we may well be seeing into new worlds in the future.
