Collaboration Across Cultures Global Astronomy: Collaboration Across Cultures
Jul 16, 2004

Still going full blast

by XRS

Still going full blast. Everybody's been busting their butts to get things ready for my grand cooldown. They had to check out all the stuff they're gonna attach to me. Apparently they're totally freaked about what would happen if they did something to hurt me. I'm not a total wimp, guys!

But they've checked all the electronics, and my “housekeeping” sensors. Housekeeping? What am I, a janitor? No actually, it's cool, they just have these thermometers stuck all over various parts of me, so they can keep track of my internal temperatures. They have a special box (which they call the “ACHE” … ugh) for measuring those. Wish they wouldn't call the temperatures “housekeeping”, tho.

Now they're putting liquid helium in! This is like the start of a wicked roller coaster, when you're going up the first slope. Nothing's really happening yet, but you're on the way like it or not. Good thing I like roller coasters. 60 millikelvin, here I come!