140 Foot Construction

140 Foot Telescope construction - On November 4, 1964, after many weeks of preparation, the lift of the superstructure was started, the final large lift of the construction. It was witnessed by many people from NRAO and nearby areas. There was excitement when the superstructure reached the near-vertical position. It had been out of balance since the beginning of the lift, and this condition was being controlled by a mobile crane which held the heavy side of the structure off the ground and also kept it from swinging freely. At the near-vertical position, a cable on the mobile crane parted, which allowed the structure to swing away from the crane and hit the ground. The structure was lowered to the ground and the lifting procedure revised. The lift was started again on November 10, and completed without further problems on November 11, 1964

Records of the NRAO

NRAO/AUI/NSF

Still Image

1964-11-04

NRAO/AUI/NSF

GB64-00625

1964-11-11

Photographs Series

140 Foot Telescope Unit

140 Foot Construction Subunit

2A