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Construction of the Greiner Research Observatory (GRO)
The photos show some details of the construction of the GRO. The pier is a massive 16" diameter concrete post sunk 5 feet into the ground. It has bolts in the top to take the mounting plates for the telescope mount. It is surrounded by a concrete slab which is 10 by 14 feet. The slab is isolated from the pier. Concrete block walls rise 6 feet on all sides. The construction which was done by professionals is shown in progress. The pier can be seen through the opening which will take the door. The finished building with the metal door in place and the roof on is shown second on the right. The roof is a roll off design which is shown rolled back. The roof is rolled back by a unique motor controlled actuation system. The roof can be safely controlled remotely since it has interlocks with the building and the equipment. Part of the motor control and the roof movement snubbers are shown. The observatory building has room for easy operation from the building itself, but is primarily designed for remote operation via the internet. The telescope shown in the bottom right photo, a Meade 14" instrument, is now gone. The new Paramount ME4000 is shown with Doc G on the day of mounting it in the GRO. On the left are shown the GRO crew. These amateur astronomers are the main users of the GRO. They are (from left to right) Mark Hanson, Matt Mills, Dennis Roscoe and in front Greg Sellek. Soon to be added to the equipment in the GRO will be A 16" "LXR" from Meade and the TMB 130 f 6. Two CCD cameras make up the present complement of cameras. They are an STL1001 and an STL11000; both of which have color wheels.
Stay tuned for more photos and information
For more details about the operation of the GRO see: Go to GRO Asteroid Project
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