No, my bumper stickers don't read "My other vehicle is a space shuttle". I wish they did.
Today's ride was to the Very Large Array radio telescope, located in west central New Mexico. Built in 1980, the array of HUGE antenna dishes are spread out over thousands of acres of very remote land far from civilization. They are all movable (on twin railroad tracks) to different positions, where they are bolted down to concrete pads, and interconnected to create an array. Moving the antenna's produce a result similar to focusing a camera. Each antenna dish is 82 feet in diameter, and is connected to a central data processing facility operated by various university personnel. There is a waiting list years in advance to book time for research.
Some may remember the movie "Contact," filmed in 1996, which was shot mostly on site at the VLA. It was fiction, but in fact, the 24 hour a day, 7 day a week, listening process is used to map the solar system, and even listen for potential intelligent transmissions. No luck yet with SETI.
A sign posted in the visitor center advised to turn off all cell phones and other electronics. Digital cameras were exempt. The notice said that their equipment is so sensitive, that it could pick up a cell phone signal from Jupiter, 500 million miles away! I just wish my T-Mobile service were that good.
While walking around the base of the antenna's, there was a noticeable amount of noise. Signs say that this is from a motor-generator unit, and cryogenic device mounted on each antenna base.
My route from Albuquerque began southbound on I-25 to Socorro, then west on Hwy 60 to Magdalena. The VLA is about 25 miles west of Magdalena in the plains of San Augustin. 15 miles further west of the VLA is the tiny village of Datil, where I fueled up for the return trip home. Temp started out in the low 50's, and maxed out at 66 degrees. Light northerly winds were a non factor. The round trip totals are:
325 Miles
5.161 Gallons fuel
62.97 mpg
More info: http://www.vla.nrao.edu
Today's ride was to the Very Large Array radio telescope, located in west central New Mexico. Built in 1980, the array of HUGE antenna dishes are spread out over thousands of acres of very remote land far from civilization. They are all movable (on twin railroad tracks) to different positions, where they are bolted down to concrete pads, and interconnected to create an array. Moving the antenna's produce a result similar to focusing a camera. Each antenna dish is 82 feet in diameter, and is connected to a central data processing facility operated by various university personnel. There is a waiting list years in advance to book time for research.
Some may remember the movie "Contact," filmed in 1996, which was shot mostly on site at the VLA. It was fiction, but in fact, the 24 hour a day, 7 day a week, listening process is used to map the solar system, and even listen for potential intelligent transmissions. No luck yet with SETI.
A sign posted in the visitor center advised to turn off all cell phones and other electronics. Digital cameras were exempt. The notice said that their equipment is so sensitive, that it could pick up a cell phone signal from Jupiter, 500 million miles away! I just wish my T-Mobile service were that good.
While walking around the base of the antenna's, there was a noticeable amount of noise. Signs say that this is from a motor-generator unit, and cryogenic device mounted on each antenna base.
My route from Albuquerque began southbound on I-25 to Socorro, then west on Hwy 60 to Magdalena. The VLA is about 25 miles west of Magdalena in the plains of San Augustin. 15 miles further west of the VLA is the tiny village of Datil, where I fueled up for the return trip home. Temp started out in the low 50's, and maxed out at 66 degrees. Light northerly winds were a non factor. The round trip totals are:
325 Miles
5.161 Gallons fuel
62.97 mpg
More info: http://www.vla.nrao.edu
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carry on - and Ride Safe and Have Fun ..
