Alignment check
Today we did an alignment check. This is to find out exactly where I am in the neon dewar and in what direction I'm pointing. Later, they'll use this to make sure that I'm lined up properly on the satellite. Otherwise, I won't be able to see everything I'm supposed to.
They put this shiny ball on top of me, and set up alignment cubes on the dewar. Then they set up these fancy instruments called theodolites to measure exactly where the ball is in relation to the cubes. I learned that a theodolite is a type of telescope that you look through to measure angles. They use them in surveying, navigation, and astronomy. By measuring the angles, you can figure out where something is. So they took a bunch of measurements from different areas of the room. I tried not to move! It's some pretty complicated arithmetic (probably involves trig!), and there was a bit of waiting around. But we got a big thumbs up
