Roller bearings of a VLA telescope

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Roller bearings of a VLA telescope

These roller bearings sit inside the spin gear of every antenna in the Very Large Array (VLA). They support the giant dish and allow it to spin around, but over time, they seize up from flattening or lack of grease. They are replaced or greased while the antenna is split in half inside the Antenna Assembly Building.

Credit: NRAO/AUI/NSF

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The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the U.S. National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
	Founded in 1956, the NRAO provides state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. NRAO telescopes are open to all astronomers regardless of institutional or national affiliation. Observing time on NRAO telescopes is available on a competitive basis to qualified scientists after evaluation of research proposals on the basis of scientific merit, the capability of the instruments to do the work, and the availability of the telescope during the requested time. NRAO also provides both formal and informal programs in education and public outreach for teachers, students, the general public, and the media.
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