The past three days have seen a great deal of running to town to get parts and tools. Today we took the telescope’s original, 250lbs steel base to the Arusha Technical University in order to remove 30cm from the bottom, providing the necessary clearance for the telescope to clear the roll-off roof.
It was quite the adventure, complete with negotiations, Coca-Cola exchanges, navigating local streets and alleys on foot in search of a hand cutting wheel, and considerable, enjoyable time with the head professor and two students to make certain our collaborative effort gave us a square, level, modified pedestal.
In the end, it came out perfect! Tomorrow we sand, paint, and place the pedestal on the concrete pier, then assemble, balance, and align the telescope into next week.
