My Other Telescope is an 8.4 Meter Other · Patrick Stevenson · ... · 1 · 143 · 0

PatrickStevenson 12.43
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Former Assistant Supervisor of Large Optics Fabrication  StewardObservatory Mirror Laboratory

 I have been interested in astronomy virtually my whole life, starting
with grinding and polishing a six inch Edmund mirror back in the
early '60's.  Given the times, and my family traditions, I opted
for a [url=#]military[/url] career that lasted a total of thirty years.
During those years my association with the hobby was limited to
reading and looking at pictures.Uponmy retirement from the Army I did the typical Law Enforcement [url=#]track[/url].
It only took a year with the Sheriff's Department to realize that I
just didn't want to carry a gun anymore.  While looking around
for a challenging alternative I ran across an ad for a “Mechanition”
(Read Gofor) at the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab.  I was
intrigued and applied for the position.  I was promptly told
that I was over-qualified.  They felt that with my intensive
experience as a [url=#]retired[/url] Army Green Beret, with a Law Enforcement
stint, and a BS from Northern Arizona University, that I would become
quickly bored and move on.  SinceI had virtually no experience in optics of ANY size, I argued that I
could not possibly be over-qualified.  My love for the science
and desire to work in such a prestigious institution in ANY capacity
would more than make up for what I lacked in direct experience.
Still, I was told that I was over-qualified.  I was finally
ready to give up but asked one thing before I went away.  I
would stop bugging, but I wanted the answer in person.  In what
was, I am sure, an [url=#]act[/url] of desperation, I was given an interview.
I met with the Mirror Lab Manager on a typical summer morning and began
my tour and interview.  It was clear that the answer was not
going to change, but decorum dictated that I be treated as a serious
candidate.  I learned that the position was generally filled by
an Op/Sci undergrad; far from my age of fifty five, and worldly
experiences.  In any [url=#]case[/url], the Manager lead me through the lab
where I encountered the second 8.4 meter mirror destined for the LBT
in Arizona.  As we passed the mirror located on the giant test
tower, I touched the edge of the monster mirror and smiled.
This apparently piqued the Manager's curiosity and he asked what I
was thinking.  I responded that this was not a telescope, it was
a time machine.  One that would reach billions of years into our
past, perhaps to the origin of the universe.  That comment got
me the job!
Edited ...
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Rich-sky
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Thank you for sharing your story. Interesting
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