Visit to Very Large Array Radio Astronomy Observatory

[Ben Franz]

The better half and I had a one day trip south to Truth or Consequences, NM last week, and yes, that really is the name of a city here. I talked her into a 100 mile detour (round trip) to the VLA west of Socorro. If you don't know, this site is the large radio telescope array that appeared in the film Contact with Jodi Foster. It was well worth the drive, IMO and you can't beat the price of admission ($0.00 PP). The pix below don't really give a sense of the overall size of the installation - in it's largest configuration, each arm of the "Y" shaped array is 13 miles long. The last picture shows one of the 27 antennas in the Antenna Assembly Building undergoing service. The full size pickup truck gives a sense of size.

[Ken Garlock]

Way cool, Ben. That is something I would like to see.

Wasn't the array also in a beginning scene from the movie 2010?

A 27 mile leg, what a signal phasing problem!

[Mike Langford]

Cool Pics, Ben....


....I wish my woodworking shop had a tall ceiling like the shop (hanger) in the last pic?

[Ben Franz]

Wasn't the array also in a beginning scene from the movie 2010?

Don't think so - 2001 came out in 1968, VLA antennas first placed in 1974-5 according to their literature. The monkeys in 2001 can be found behind the wheel driving drunk all over NM .

[Scott Shepherd]

Very cool Ben, thanks for sharing those. We went to the one in Green Bank, West Virginia, which I believe is one of the world's largest moving structures. I was speechless when I stood by it. It's just so massive. We were not allowed to take photos with digital cameras, so no proof There was a sign next to it that shows radio waves and it showed spikes on it. Each spike was a photo taken with a digital camera. So taking digital photos messed up their readings and was not permitted. They also weren't allowed to use gasoline powered cars or trucks because the spark plug firing caused problems as well.

For many years we have skied several miles from this and we always cussed the cell phone companies because we lost cell phone coverage about 100 miles from the resort and never got it back, and that's been going on for years now. While visiting, we found out that it was all in a National Radio Quiet Zone, more or less blacked out with radio signals so it didn't mess the telescope up. They told us they didn't allow much on the cell phone towers in that 13,000 sq. mile area. Basically, they restricted cell towers to line of sight signal strength in that area.

It was fascinating to learn about it and what it does and what they have discovered because of things like this.

Really cool stuff, thanks for sharing.

Here's the info on the large one at Green Bank.

http://www.gb.nrao.edu/gbt/

Here's the info on the National Radio Quiet Zone.

http://www.gb.nrao.edu/nrqz/

[Phil Thien]

Don't think so - 2001 came out in 1968, VLA antennas first placed in 1974-5 according to their literature. The monkeys in 2001 can be found behind the wheel driving drunk all over NM .

He said 2010, not 2001. But I can't remember the movie well enough to even know there was a VLA at the start.

[John Schreiber]

Don't you like the way scientists name things. This is "very large". 22 miles. I guess that's "very large" by most measures.

[Ken Garlock]

He said 2010, not 2001. But I can't remember the movie well enough to even know there was a VLA at the start.

I have slept on it more than once, but an early scene of 2010 had the US lead scientist meet with his Russian counterpart on the superstructure of a large radio telescope. The meeting was to ask for Russian help because the original mission ship's,( HAL), Jupiter orbit was decaying. Hence we have a Russian spaceship with American scientists heading back to the HAL ship.

Did I remember correctly, or am I having another 'senior moment?

[Mark Stutz]

This really is a pretty impressive place. We got the upgraded tour...my brother-in-law works there! I assume they still do this, but don't know, but at one time they dedicated a little time every month to SETI...as far as I know never found anything.

mark