The author posing at the controls of the Keck telescope, control room, 13,800'
The Keck 1 secondary
The Keck 1 10m primary mirror consisting of 36 hexagonal segments
The Keck 1 adaptive optics laser. The yellow sodium laser (red box) shoots up about 90km into the atmosphere before reflecting back.
The green patches are a phased array antenna. Aircraft are diverted by air traffic control not to fly across the observatories in case they pass in front of the laser.
The antenna can detect a transponder on-board most aircraft and its associated control system is designed to switch the laser off should one stray into observatory airspace.
Mirrors in the the Keck aluminizing lab at 13,800'. Note the levers and actuators on the back of each piece of glass.
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