Arecibo Observatory Upgrade

Advanced Design Consulting designed a large turntable, capable of positioning the receiver heads to within .5 mm (taking into consideration the weight budget and achieving the required velocity). ADC also designed the positioning systems for the tertiary sub-reflector and the eight new receiver heads. This project was part of a $25 million upgrade to the Arecibo facility. A Gregorian reflector system now hangs from the main detector area 137 meters (450 feet) above the main reflector dish. The Gregorian dome contains two reflector dishes, a radar transmitter, and microwave receivers. The secondary and tertiary reflectors channel the signal from the main reflector into the receivers.

The CH and Gregorian drive systems met their tracking specifications with no problems, and in fact the carriage house exceeded its specifications by a large factor. More information about the observatory and its facilities is available at www.astro.cornell.edu/facilities/arecibo.php.