Gemini North Mounts Toptica Laser on Telescope

Installation of Toptica EC electronics cabinet. The Gemini North day crew connecting the EC to the telescope. In this image John Randrup, Chas Cavedoni, Joe D’Amato, Clayton Ah Hee, Cooper Nakayama and Tom Schneider all participated in the installation.

On July 19, the Gemini North Day Crew achieved a major milestone in the integration of the Toptica laser: physically mounting the laser on the Gemini North telescope. The transition from LMCT to Toptica required the removal of the existing laser and laser enclosure, then restoration of the telescope before we began the installation. In addition, balancing the telescope became an interesting challenge for our Mechanical Engineer Chas Cavedoni. Additional counterbalance weights had to be added to the telescope to compensate for the weight and position of the new laser. Scheduling and completing work each day followed by a balancing routine was required in order to transfer operation of the telescope to the Science team. Following the laser unit installation, the Day Crew is heavily involved in installation and connection of Electronic and Mechanical Services. Completion of this installation required planned execution by the entire Day Crew Team... Well executed, well done!