Antennas by General Dynamics enable 'early science' for ALMA
Monday, October 3, 2011 - 09:00
in Astronomy & Space
Thirteen 12-meter antennas manufactured by General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies have been successfully installed at the 16,500-foot-high Chajnantor plateau in Chile, home to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) astronomical observatory. Located in the Andes mountains, the 115-ton, highly specialized antennas form part of an 11-mile-wide international astronomy project. When it is completed in 2013, scientists will use the observatory to study portions of the universe at a level of detail that is beyond what current astronomical technologies provide, studying the origins of galaxies, stars, and planets.