Project Description

       The Naval Prototype Optical Interferometer, located on Anderson Mesa in Flagstaff Arizona, utilizes siderostats to collect optical images of stars and other celestial bodies. Four of the siderostats are housed inside "huts" to protect them from inclement weather. The huts have a roof suspended on trolleys and can be opened by activating an electric motor. The motor is attached to a continuous cable connected to each end of the roof and supplies the force needed to open and close it. The problem with this system is that the lower return cable travels in a channel, through the interior walls making it difficult to thermally isolation the interior rooms. The building is divided into three sections; the siderostat, laser referencing and computer interface rooms. The laser and computer rooms must be maintained at 69 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. The siderostat room must be maintained at outside ambient temperature. Currently, the warm air from the computer and laser room can travel into the siderostat room through the channels that the lower cable feeds through. The rising heat from the warmer rooms travels over the siderostat causing heat waves that distort the optical images. The object of this design is to remove the lower return cable, thereby allowing thermal isolation of the rooms, while retaining normal operation of the sliding roof.