22 February 2011
First Day at Work
Today was our second full day at PEARL, and we continued to set up the instruments. The UT-GBS is working well operating in zenith-sky mode. There has been an issue with low temperatures in the UT-GBS hatch, so we fixed the vent by increasing the flow of air, thus increasing the temperature of the hatch. The PEARL-GBS has a new CCD, which replaces one that developed a leak and could not be repaired by the manufacturer. Unfortunately, we were not able to install the new CCD on the spectrometer, as it required an interface flange that was not provided with the CCD. The manufacturer is shipping the missing flange to catch the March 2 charter. While waiting for that, we have plenty to do with the UT-GBS and setting up the PEARL-GBS suntracker.
Rodica and Joseph continued to record HCl and HBr cell measurements for lineshape testing of the Bruker 125HR InGaS and InSb detectors, respectively. Felicia and Lin set-up PARIS in its new position under the mezzanine in the FTS lab, ensuring it is correctly positioned and levelled. Additionally, the external optics required for cell measurements were installed and aligned. In the hour and a half of sunlight today, the FTS team successfully set up the solar beam-sharing optics with the Bruker 125HR and PARIS in their new positions. Volodya installed SPS on the roof of PEARL today and initial tests show the instrument is operational. Later in the day, the winds increased and the installation of SAOZ was postponed until tomorrow, weather permitting.
The Eureka weather station suffered power outages twice this evening. We were playing cards after dinner and the power went out. Volodya and Paul took this opportunity to take some creative pictures. The power was restored about 45min later but 10 min later it was back down again. The blackout lasted more than an hour and half in total and the backup power supply also stopped! Paul says that this was the longest blackout at Eureka that he knows about.
Xiaoyi