sofia_nz_2015flitecamLogo IR Lab

In June, 2015, FLITECAM took a
trip to the southern Hemisphere.

It was part of the New Zealand deployment of SOFIA, and used with two other instruments to image the Pluto Occultation on
June 30, 2015.

Through hard work and determination of so many, the mission was a resounding success.

These web pages document the mission photographically. But they are far from all-inclusive.

Except where noted,
All content & images
Copyright © 2015
Chris Johnson
UCLA Infrared Lab

Day Four - Replacement


A working computer is nice, but it needs to be installed in the FAA certified rack. So we had to swap out the bad chassis for the good one. Here -- Ken starts removing retaining bolts.


Removing the handles from the backup detector control computer was not anticipated, and much more difficult than it looks.


A little blood and sweat later -- literally -- the new system is in place. Testing was again successful and I could sleep well...


But no immediate rest for us, first we had to tidy up the entire instrument control rack (which is called the "PI Rack" in SOFIA terminology) in preparation for aircraft installation in the morning!