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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Roller bearings of a VLA telescope

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The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
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