Quote:
Originally Posted by gaseous
That's one of the most disturbing photos I've ever seen. I can't begin to imagine the language that it must have elicited when they opened the trailer.
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Hi Patrick,
The same trailer also houses a couple of 25" Obsessions and an 18"
Obsession. All of them come with wheelbarrow handles.
So it was not until the SDM 30" was rolled down the trailer ramps and
out onto a tennis court where it was to be used and the mirror box
cover removed was the mirror then seen to be in two pieces.
It was disappointing to say the least.
Speaking of mirror incidents, I have visited the 2.7m (107") Harlan J. Smith
Telescope at the McDonald Observatory in south Texas.
In 1970, a new employee there was disgruntled and brought a 9mm
handgun with him to work. After firing one shot at his supervisor,
he unloaded 7 rounds into the primary mirror. It says a lot about the glass
it was made of and it only left small 3mm to 5mm 'craters' in it. Still not
happy with the result, he took a hammer to it and still it would not break.
He was arrested and committed to a mental health institution.
Fortunately it did not affect the mirror's performance in any significant way.
You can still see the bullet pit marks in it today.
Best Regards
Gary