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 language | English |
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Title of host publication | Ground-Based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III |
Editors | Ian S. McLean, Suzanne K. Ramsay, Hideki Takami |
Place of Publication | Bellingham, WA |
Publisher | SPIE |
Pages | 1-6 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Volume | 7735, Part One of Four Parts |
ISBN (Print) | 9780819482259 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jul 2010 |
Event | Ground-Based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III - San Diego, CA, United States Duration: 27 Jun 2010 → 2 Jul 2010 |
Other
Other | Ground-Based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III |
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Country/Territory | United States |
City | San Diego, CA |
Period | 27/06/10 → 2/07/10 |