Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) is a Chinese mega-science project to build the largest single dish radio telescope in the world as shown in Fig.1. FAST is an Arecibo-type antenna with three outstanding aspects: the karst depression used as the site, which is large to host the 500-meter telescope and deep to allow a zenith angle of 40 degrees; the active main reflector correcting for spherical aberration on the ground to achieve a full polarization and a wide band without involving complex feed systems; and the light-weight feed cabin driven by cables and servomechanism plus a parallel robot as a secondary adjustable system to move with high precision.
Fig.1 FAST 3D model
Spot of acceptance meeting
From Nov. 26 to Nov. 28, 2012, Architecture design and model experiment of Central Control System for FAST Telescope was passed for project acceptance at National Astronomical Observatories of China. It is a sub task of FAST fulfilled by team of associate professor Jian Wang and professor Ge Jin from May, 2011 at State Key Laboratory of Particle Detection and Electronics and school of Physical Sciences, USTC.
The team accomplished design and implementation of central control system and control system of active reflector for half and one year. On Nov. 26, 2012, the integration test and commissioning for central control system, control system of active reflector and control system of feed cabin suspension system was brought to success at MIYUN model which has 30 meters diameter. On Nov.28, 2012, the acceptance meeting was held and the professor Shi-mo Yang from FAST Project Headquarters gave a high value for the work and all the experts hope the team from USTC could undertake the next phase task of FAST project.
(WANG Jian,School of Physical Sciences)
FAST
