Where In The Universe #69
Written by Nancy Atkinson
Here's this week's image for the WITU Challenge, to test your visual knowledge of the cosmos, and I swear, this one is space related. But you know what to do: take a look at this image and see if you can determine where in the universe this image is from; give yourself extra points if you can name any spacecraft involved in this image. We’ll provide the image today, but won’t reveal the answer until tomorrow. This gives you a chance to mull over the image and provide your answer/guess in the comment section. Please, no links or extensive explanations of what you think this is — give everyone the chance to guess.
UPDATE: The answer has been posted below.
Well, I have to say my favorite answer this week was from MageAshke who suggested this might be the Heart of Gold using its Infinite Improbability Drive. However that answer is incorrect. This is actually the interior of an anechoic chamber that was used to measure radiation patterns and performance of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's high gain antenna. An anechoic chamber is a shielded room designed to attenuate sound or electromagnetic energy. You can read about NASA's anechoic testing facilities here, and see more pictures from LRO about the different tests for the spacecraft here.
I hope you enjoyed this week's unusual WITU Challenge! If so, check back next week for another test of your visual knowledge of the cosmos!
Filed under: Where In the Universe?
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September 2nd, 2009 at 11:45 am
some lab testing radio receiver/transmitters used on satelites?
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Well, this is on Earth, and there's no spacecraft used to produce this image. As to what it is… well, it's a lab of some sort. A detection chamber. Cosmic rays? Neutrinos? Dunno.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:58 pm
This appears to be man made, and not a numerical simulation. It looks a bit like the interior of a sound chamber (eikonial (sp?) chamber). It could be an EM cavity as well. I conjecture the fan-like elements are meant to attenuate waves (EM or sound) modes transverse to the direction of view. If this is not a chamber, then it is some sort of antenna horn.
LC
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:29 pm
That's where you fall when you play Prince of Persia.
September 2nd, 2009 at 3:32 pm
looks a little like the telescope which discovered the cosmic background radiation.
so i guess it could be the planck space telescope.
September 2nd, 2009 at 4:40 pm
It's an anechoic chamber for testing radio emission and interference of components of spacecraft. Or maybe the spikey maw of the square-mouthed deathworm of Beta Pictoris 2…maybe.
September 2nd, 2009 at 5:45 pm
The salt mines on Mars
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Yeah – looks like a big feed horn antenna or something. Those baffles on the side are a bit confusing. Maybe they are there to collimate or prevent turbulence in some sort of fluid flow, or to kill off reflected radiation?
Perhaps it's an expansion chamber for some sort of propulsion experiment?
Good one Nancy! Not impossibly obscure, but hard none-the-less!
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Actually yeah – what skivee said.
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:36 pm
I've seen it. It's the Phantom Zone.
September 2nd, 2009 at 10:07 pm
Zod ! Why should we believe that you want to help us humans? You are consumed with your hatred of Jor-Al.
September 2nd, 2009 at 10:18 pm
The interior of a solar telescope? Maybe?
Or one of the many places on the Deathstar to shove wayward evil emperors.
September 3rd, 2009 at 12:50 am
The back of my muddled mind says ground testing unit of an earlier, unfolding solar panel/umbrella idea, not long after the Voyager satellites. Either that or interior of the "shock absorber" connection device for joining into ISS?????
September 3rd, 2009 at 5:34 am
This is soundproofing, maybe over some stage setup.
September 3rd, 2009 at 6:36 am
The Heart of Gold using its Infinite Improbability Drive.
September 3rd, 2009 at 6:50 am
Looks like I get my wish! NOBODY's gonna get this one! I don't believe it's microscopic, but it could be! I'll guess the interior of some sort of specialized directional audio antenna. Good one Nancy!
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:44 am
The acoustic absorbent interior lining of an air duct in the ISS.
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:26 am
I have to jump in to this one. I think it is looking inside a microwave antenna from one of those background telescopes like compton or WMAP. If that guess isnt right then I'll guess WORMHOLE.
Keep it up!
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:42 am
it;s the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:59 am
Looks like either part of an anechoic chamber or some electronic listening device.
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:44 pm
1st try for me. I think it may be a sound reduction chamber ( or part of the chamber.)
I have seen these convergent -divergent shapes before in engine test cells. They are used to reduce the noise outside the building to a level acceptable by the public.
this one is used perhaps to test the engines for manovering or thrusters for some rocket.
September 3rd, 2009 at 6:03 pm
OK, This is not a photo.
It is some sort of computerized representation of something.
I just don't know what.
September 5th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Okay, that was fun but let's take a break from locations within the Earth's atmosphere for awhile. Let's look UP!