Ben is a mechanical engineering student in his 4th year at
UH Manoa. He originally came to college for neuroscience,
but pivoted to pre-engineering and then mechanical
engineering after his first semester. He works on campus in
between his classes and likes to stay involved with the
school community, as community is important to him being
from Hawaii. He hopes to use the remainder of his college
career to further and diversify his skillset both in and out of
engineering. In his free time, he likes to climb, play games,
and go on hikes.
Home Island: Oahu
High School:
Institution when accepted: UH Manoa
Site: Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF). Hilo, Hawaii Island
Mentors: Raycen Wong
Project title: NASA’s IRTF Secondary Mirror Handling Ring and Storage Unit Design and Implementation
Project Abstract:
NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) utilizes a dual-mirror setup: a 3.2-meter primary mirror
and a 0.24-meter secondary. New instrumentation is being added to the secondary mirror setup,
and as a result, the stationary mirror is being taken on and off the telescope more frequently. The
current method for doing this requires bolting handles to the mirror’s mount by hand. Operating
tools so close to the mirror’s surface is incredibly risky and can result in thousands of dollars in
repairs and downtime if the surface is damaged. Thus, a handling ring has been designed to allow
for easy and consistent installation and removal of the mirror and its mount. The ring is lightweight
and doesn’t require any tools to operate. In addition to the handling ring, an acrylic cover for the
mirror and a new storage unit have been designed to further ensure safe handling and storage of the
mirror during installation and removal from the telescope. All three deliverables were designed
using CAD software, and manufactured through either commercial CNC vendors or machined
in-house. Designs for all three were iterated upon utilizing feedback from multiple design reviews
held with the IRTF staff. The handling ring has been fully designed and manufactured, while the
mirror cover and storage unit are currently waiting for parts to arrive and, once received, can be
completed within the week.