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Science and Technology Minister Mangena visits SKA Team 2005/10/20


South Africa is bidding to host the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) the next-generation radio telescope being developed by a global consortium of radio astronomers.

In addition, South Africa is intending to build an SKA technology demonstrator called the Karoo Array Telescope (KAT), in collaboration with European, Australian and American radio astronomers.

On 20 October 2005 South Africa's Minister of Science and Technology, Mosibudi Mangena, visited the SKA offices in Rosebank, Johannesburg for a briefing on the project. He was accompanied by Deputy Minister Derek Hanekom, Director General Rob Adam, Deputy Director-General: Science and Technology Expert Services Adi Paterson and others.

Dr. Bernie Fanaroff, the SKA Project Manager, briefed the visitors on progress with SKA and with KAT. SKA engineer Gerhard Petrick then described the testing of the radio frequency interference (RFI) levels at the SKA sites.

The focus then moved to a live demonstration by Geographic Information System Manager Ferrial Adam of the impressive GIS computer system being used to evaluate SKA sites not only in South Africa, but in Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Mocambique, Madagascar and Mauritius. The GIS system is able to overlay a wide variety of information that the SKA team have obtained on topology, geology, population, radio transmitters, SKA site locations and more onto maps.

Finally Dr. Dirk Baker, an antenna expert on the SKA team, showed the Minister prototypes of the Focal Plane Array system that will be used to receive the radio signals at the foci of the KAT antennae.

A photo essay on the visit and aspects of the presentations follows, with particular reference to HartRAO's role in building the RFI test systems.

minister1
Click on image for LARGE version. Credit: Marina Joubert, Southern Science

Ferrial Adam demonstrates the GIS to Minister Mangena.

minister#2
Click on image for LARGE version. Credit: Marina Joubert, Southern Science

Derek Hanekom, Adi Paterson and Minister Mangena are intrigued by the GIS demonstration from Ferrial Adam.

rhodes
Click on image for LARGE version. Credit: Marina Joubert, Southern Science

With a long tradition of radio astronomy in the Department of Physics and Electronics at Rhodes University, it is not surprising that many graduates of the department are involved in SKA and KAT. From the left, Mike Inggs (UCT/SKA), Dirk Baker (Grintek/SKA), Justin Jonas (Rhodes/HartRAO/SKA), Mike Gaylard (HartRAO), George Nicolson (HartRAO/SKA), Paul Manners (Rhodes/SKA), Adrian Tiplady (SKA), Alex Fortescue (GIS consultant for SKA). They are seen here at the after party.

rfi_setting_up_for_comparative_measurements
Click on image for LARGE version. Credit: Gerhard Petrick, SKA

Here the team from Astron are setting up their RFI system for comparative measurements with the HartRAO-built system at the SKA core site.

ICASA_Measurement_Team_at_Houwteq
Click on image for LARGE version. Credit: Gerhard Petrick, SKA

Japie Greef is seen here in the HartRAO electronics workshop building the antenna assembly for an RFI measurement system.

rfi_soldering_cage
Click on image for LARGE version. Credit: Gerhard Petrick, SKA

Extensive RFI screening was applied to the mobile RFI test systems after experience with the first system. Here a Faraday cage to contain electronic equipment is being constructed in the HartRAO mechanical workshop by Andre van der Merwe and Richard Moralo.

ICASA_Measurement_Team_at_Houwteq
Click on image for LARGE version. Credit: Gerhard Petrick, SKA

The RFI measuring systems built at HartRAO are operated in the field by ICASA. Here the ICASA field teams are shown during training at Houwtek near Somerset West, in front of one of the mobile RFI systems. SKA RFI Project Manager Gerhard Petrick is on the far left. HartRAO engineer Keith Jones is second from the left. SKA RFI analayst Paul Manners is eighth from the left.

K7_RFI_22_M_East
Click on image for LARGE version. Credit: Gerhard Petrick, SKA

One of the mobile RFI systems is seen here at site Karoo 7, showing typical weather and scenery.

rfi_repair_team_2
Click on image for LARGE version. Credit: Gerhard Petrick, SKA

The trailer (not built by HartRAO) on which one of the RFI systems was mounted took some damage on a rough road in the Karoo. An emergency fix-it team of Jacques Grobler and Pieter Stronkhorst (above) went out used some ingenious methods in the village of Carnarvon to transfer the equipment to a new trailer.

rfi_repair_team_2
Click on image for LARGE version. Credit: Gerhard Petrick, SKA
A large tree in Carnarvon acted as a crane for lifting the electronics cabin off the damaged trailer.