Giant Coating Plant for the VLT: a Porthole View
View through a porthole in the VLT coating plant. The coating unit is a large vacuum chamber with a diameter of 9.4 meters and a volume of about 122,000 liters. The required ultra-high vacuum is generated by 8 cryo-pumps which are located on top of the vacuum chamber. The lower half of the vacuum chamber is mounted onto an air-cushion vehicle via 4 large spindles for closing and opening of the vacuum chamber. For loading and unloading of the mirrors the lower half of the chamber is moved on 8 air-cushions from the coating unit location to the mirror handling tool and vice-versa.
Credit:
ESO
About the Image
| Id: | eso9711e |
| Type: | Photographic |
| Release date: | 16 May 1997 |
| Related releases: | eso9711 |
| Size: | 559 x 560 px |
About the Object
| Name: | Very Large Telescope |
| Type: | • Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Telescope • X - Paranal |
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