Oct 2008 M1M3 Substrate removal from furnace

LSST's 8.4-meter mirror blank has been successfully lifted from the furnace hearth. Today the perfectly cast 8.4-meter LSST primary/tertiary mirror blank was successfully lifted from the furnace hearth, put into the turning ring and tilted to the vertical position. The finished light weighted mirror will be 16,600 kg with the thickest outside edge (height of 0.92 meters) ever made at the UA Steward Observatory Mirror Lab. Once completed, this will be the largest two surface optical mirror made from one substrate in the world. The mirror is scheduled to be completed in January 2012.