Doc Ewen: The Horn, HI, and Other Events in US Radio Astronomy

Slide 18: Detecting the Interstellar Hydrogen Line, 1951

Inspecting the patch work. After one year, parts of the copper skin had cracked and peeled away from the plywood. I purchased fifty feet of rope from a local hardware store, tied one end around my waist and the other to the lower section of the antenna mount. With a large soldering iron, solder, and a bristle brush I went over the side, four floors up, and slid into the horn. About an hour later, I managed to climb out of the horn back on to the parapet. This picture of me inspecting the patchwork was taken about two days later. The line was detected within the next few weeks. [Photo courtesy of Doc Ewen]
Slide 19