Roadtrip to Steward Mirror Making Lab in Tucson....

Yes, that's me standing on the second of two 8.4 meter (27.56 feet) mirrors of the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) while under the testing tower on February 26, 2005....

___________________________________________________________

The figure at the time was said by the Optician to be 1/10th overall.... The target was 1/25th wave.

___________________________________________________________

Tom and Jennifer Polakis were there too. Jennifer laid down on the mirror (it was under the testing tower)....

___________________________________________________________

The interferogram.... In it you can see Jennifer's thermal imprint where her heat changed the figure of the mirror where she laid.

___________________________________________________________

Thanks for sharing that road trip Tom and Jennifer!!!

The one I'm standing on is missing.

___________________________________________________________

Now both are installed.

___________________________________________________________