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Making a meal of the big dish: the construction of the Jodrell Bank Mark 1 radio telescope as a stable edifice, 1946–57†
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 January 2009
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From a distance the Mark 1 radio telescope at Jodrell Bank is an edifying sight. It is a steel structure of over 1000 tons, holding aloft a fully steerable dish of wire mesh which focuses incoming radio waves from astronomical objects. It is set in gently rolling Cheshire countryside. Its striking appearance can easily be recruited as a powerful symbol of progress and of science as the pursuit of pioneering spirits.
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References
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