Photo – Page 75 – National Radio Astronomy Observatory

VLA Computer Room in 1983

Jim Torson analyzes data from the Very Large Array in its computer room in 1983.

Building a VLA Dish in the Barn

Early days at the Very Large Array in central New Mexico saw 25-meter antenna dishes under construction inside the Antenna Assembly Building while completed antennas were tested on their pads.

Aerial photo of VLA antenna and The Barn

In the 1970s, the Very Large Array was still under construction in the New Mexico desert. In this aerial photo, a completed 25-meter antenna is being tested on the Master Pad and a headless antenna awaits a dish inside the Antenna Assembly Building.

Looking Down on the VLA Barn

The Sun sets over the Antenna Assembly Building at the Very Large Array in central New Mexico. Inside the so-called “Barn,” a 25-meter dish antenna undergoes routine maintenance while a recently serviced antenna is tested on the Master Pad to the left. An orange-red Antenna Transporter waits on its tracks. The VLA has 28 antennas, but only 27 are needed for the array, giving it a spare for these maintenance shifts.

Plains of San Agustin before VLA tracks were installed

Aerial Shot of VLA Before Tracks

Before the Very Large Array’s 40 miles of double-track railway were installed, the Plains of San Agustin in central New Mexico looked like this.

VLA Antenna on Transporter

A 200-ton antenna is carefully hauled back out into the Very Large Array on board an Antenna Transporter. The Transporter rides the rails that form a large Y-shape across the Plains of San Agustin in central New Mexico.

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