Recollections of "Tucson Operations": The Millimeter-Wave Observatory of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (Astrophysics and Space Science Library Book 323)

This book is a personal account of the evolution of millimeter-wave astronomy at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. It begins with the construction of the hugely successful, but flawed, 36 ft radio telescope on Kitt Peak, Arizona, and continues through the funding of its ultimate successor, the Atacama Large Millimeter-wave Array (ALMA), being constructed on a 5.000 m (16.500 ft) site in northern Chile. The book describes the behind-the-scene activities of the NRAO Tucson staff. These include the identification and solution of technical problems, the scheduling and support of visiting astronomers, and the preparations and the politics of the proposal to replace the 36 ft telescope with a 25 m telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The book also describes the installation of a new 12 m surface and the involvement of the Tucson staff in the ALMA project. Finally, it describes events leading to the closing of the 36 ft telescope and, eventually, of the NRAO offices in Tucson. The Early Years....Pages 1-12 Construction of the Telescope....Pages 13-28 Radio Lines from Molecules....Pages 29-33 Dispatched to Tucson....Pages 35-43 Expanding the Tucson Facilities....Pages 45-72 Providing Adequate Electricity....Pages 73-76 Lightning and Kitt Peak....Pages 77-78 Software....Pages 79-89 Millimeter-Wave Electronics....Pages 91-105 Quantifying mm-Wave Astronomy....Pages 107-109 Scheduling....Pages 111-118 Improving the Performance of the 36-ft Telescope....Pages 119-124 The 25-m Telescope....Pages 125-159 Odds and Ends....Pages 161-172 The MMA and ALMA....Pages 173-184 The Twilight Years....Pages 185-189 A personal account of the evolution of millimeter-wave astronomy at the US National Radio Astronomy Observatory. The author recounts the behind-the-scenes activities of the staff from the beginnings at Kitt Peak to the closing of the Tuscon offices. By M.a. Gordon. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 207-214) And Index.