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NAIC/AO Newsletter No. 19
Since the weather and other uncertainties could delay the event, everyone would call the control room for the latest news. Some of those with beepers arranged to be informed of the status by that method.
Indeed, when I called the control room on Wednesday morning I was informed "no sube" ("not going up") because of some missing parts, and so I went back to sleep. It was disappointing and I worried since the weather report mentioned an increased chance of bad weather Thursday and Friday.
One good thing about the delay was that it would allow José N. Maldonado to return from a trip and not miss this event toward which he and his crew had worked so hard. We say, "No hay mal que por bien no venga," the equivalent of "Every cloud has a silver lining."
On Thursday morning, May 16, the weather looked nothing like it had been predicted by the evening news, and the control room informed "El Gregoriano sube." My wife and I jumped into our car and drove to the Observatory.
At daybreak in front of the control room, we saw what appeared like a spaceship emerging from the fog-filled reflector. It was an impressive view: the Gregorian was on its way up. Small groups had gathered at different locations to witness the lift of the 90-ton dome. Then shortly before 8 AM a crew gathered at the telescope platform to prepare for the mating of the dome to the new drive trolleys that had been installed a few days earlier. The motion was now very slow, and through the walkie-talkie Felipe Soberal, our Upgrade Inspection Engineer, provided a play by play report of all the action.
As the dome reached the top a segment from Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" could be heard coming from the PA system. The dome gleaming in the morning sun was an impressive view, one to which we are still getting accustomed. Now, after many months of upgrade work one can clearly see the difference.
By the time Rey Vélez, head of telescope operations, arrived it was all over. He looked surprised and disappointed as I asked him what had happened, and wondered if he had not been informed. He told me with a smile that he had indeed been informed via his beeper, as arranged, and showed me the message he had received.
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