Image of the week
In my arms!
11 Jan 2021
In late November, one part of the "shell" that encloses every vacuum vessel sector—a right-hand outboard thermal shield panel—had been mounted on a giant pre-assembly tool in the Assembly Hall.
With two outboard thermal shield panels now mounted on one of the giant pre-assembly tools, thermal shield assembly trials can begin.
The relatively lightweight, silver-coated component (10 tonnes) now has company.
With the left-hand outboard panel now installed in the opposite "arm" of the tool, thermal shield assembly trials can begin. The trials will consist in rotating the two arms of the tool, with their outboard segments, toward the centre, bringing the segments close enough to determine—through trial and error—the precise trajectory for actual assembly.
The trial operations will enable operators to identify and solve potential issues before the 440-tonne vacuum vessel segment is added to the Titan's embrace.