Future development of the PLATO observatory for Antarctic science

Michael C B Ashley, Colin S. Bonner, Jon R. Everett, Jon S. Lawrence, Daniel Luong-Van, Scott McDaid, Campbell McLaren, John W V Storey

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference proceeding contributionpeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)
41 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

PLATO is a self-contained robotic observatory built into two 10-foot shipping containers. It has been successfully deployed at Dome A on the Antarctic plateau since January 2008, and has accumulated over 730 days of uptime at the time of writing. PLATO provides 0.5{1kW of continuous electrical power for a year from diesel engines running on Jet-A1, supplemented during the summertime with solar panels. One of the 10-foot shipping containers houses the power system and fuel, the other provides a warm environment for instruments. Two Iridium satellite modems allow 45 MB/day of data to be transferred across the internet. Future enhancements to PLATO, currently in development, include a more modular design, using lithium iron-phosphate batteries, higher power output, and a light-weight low-power version for eld deployment from a Twin Otter aircraft. Technologies used in PLATO include a CAN (Controller Area Network) bus, high-reliability PC/104 com- puters, ultracapacitors for starting the engines, and fault-tolerant redundant design.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationGround-Based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III
EditorsIan S. McLean, Suzanne K. Ramsay, Hideki Takami
Place of PublicationBellingham, WA
PublisherSPIE
Pages1-6
Number of pages6
Volume7735, Part One of Four Parts
ISBN (Print)9780819482259
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2010
EventGround-Based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III - San Diego, CA, United States
Duration: 27 Jun 20102 Jul 2010

Other

OtherGround-Based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySan Diego, CA
Period27/06/102/07/10

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