2023 in review
2023 has been an exciting year for NRT. After completing the Critical Design Review of the fold mirror system, a lot of focus has been getting things ready for manufacture of this critical part of the optics system. The polishing work is already well underway. The design review gave the team plenty to focus on - adjusting designs and creating drawings ready for manufacturing parts but there has been plenty of progress on other systems too as well as important meetings and workshops.
Number 5 - Software architecture
Over the past year NRT software architecture has taken a huge step forward with the initial infrastructure now deployed on Google Cloud Platform. During September 2023 our Dev Ops engineer, Joao Bento moved all of the existing software infrastructure (mainly software repositories) from servers based at IAC to the cloud. This now allows streamlined access, speeding up development and also means the team have complete control of the full software architecture which now is more closely aligned to the planned final software stack. In addition, the NRT website can now be hosted here so itegrating news updates and project information with the full SODC (Science Operations Data Centre) system is much easier.
NRT proposed software stack including SODC layer - deployed in Google Cloud Platform
Number 4 - User testing of web-based Phase 1
The project is busy preparing for the live launch of the proposal system. Before NRT is live this will actually be used by LT as part of the twice yearly call for proposals - allowing existing LT users to request telescope time with an updated modern web-based process. The team is targetting a 'call for proposals' for LT early in 2024 (for 2024b) so hopefully externals users will get to use the new system then and provide plenty of feedback for future calls.
Internal user SODC phase 1 proposal test session and new NRT webpage image
Number 3 - Low level control prototyping
The NRT software stack is broadly split into three layers. 2023 has seen progress on each. However arguably the most complex part is the lower level which is controls the telescope mechanisms. This layer is called the TLS (Telescope Level Systems). The TLS consists of two main layers - the first recieves the requested telesocpe operating mode and target positions and turns them into requested pointing, slewing commands. The second is the software and hardware level that actually drives the actuators and supplies power/sensor data. This software usually runs on special robust industrial control hardware called PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers). This year the team has managed to make excellent progress on connecting these two parts together and prototyping some of the lower level control hardware in the lab. The starting point for this has been the fold mirror mechanism (which includes a linear drive and rotational drive motor to set the fold mirrors position.
The IAC team visited LJMU to work directly on controlling this hardware in the lab using the GCS (Grantecan Control Software) which will be the starting point for this control layer due to the fact it is already in use on the The Gran Telescopio Canarias on La Palma.
NRT IAC and LJMU team members after successful hardware control in the lab
Number 2 - Gluing and fold mechanism prototyping
It is very exciting to begin prototyping of parts of the NRT project. Many of the fold mechanism parts have now been manufactured ready for the fold mirror metrology process at INAF (Italy). These are being integrated in the lab at LJMU (as well as the moving mechanism part described above). The team have learned a lot regarding the gluing process to fix the Invar pads to the back of the mirror (planned before the final polishing step). This has required countless prototype jigs, fixtures and tests that have carried on throughout most of the year. This setup is almost ready for gluing in 2024 where the team will fly back to Italy to bond the final pads to the mirror with the INAF team.
[Left to right] - Fold mirror support assembly and dummy fold mirror (3D printed), Glue application process tests, Glue bond load testing using test loads and sensor
Number 1 - Fold mirror polishing begins!
Probably the proudest moment of the year for the NRT team is the begining of the polishing phase of the NRT fold mirror. This marks the start of the first critical component to be manufactured for the project and the complexity/technical challenge allows the team to learn a lot before the potentially even greater challenge in preparing the design of the primary mirror segments. However, the flatness requirement of the fold mirror (at 16nm RMS) is still a huge test for the polishing process but also of the design of the support system which it will be mounted to during metrology. The team hope to sign off this mirror in the next year and move it to the optics facility at IAC in Tenerife for further verification tests.
[Left to right] - Fold mirror in the INAF Ion-beam chamber preparing for polishing run, Initial metrology results showing mirror surface flatness (RMS nm), Metrology setup at INAF with fold mirror in front of beam expander and interferometer
