h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I was lucky enough to be involved with the refurbishment project on the Lovell Telescope during the summer/autumn of 2001.

I was part of a team of about 16 tasked with removing the old, terribly corroded mild steel panels from the reflector surface and replacing them with new, shiny, protected galvanised steel panels.

The replacement of the surface and the electronics allow the telescope to receive a much greater range of frequencies, and also mean it might operate for another 50 years!

Despite being some of the hardest work I have ever done, physically, working on the telescope is one of my proudest achievements. Seeing the instrument glinting in the evening sun over the countryside of Cheshire is a sight to behold and knowing I worked on it makes it all the more special.

The Jodrell Bank website www.jb.man.ac.uk provides lots of info about the telescope and you might even spot me in a few of the photo's from the upgrade. I'm the one in the shorts

And a fantastic job you guys did! The telescope is now fully functional again and the surface panels have all been adjusted so that it is accurate enough to use at higher frequencies than was previously possible.

Reports that the facility are about to close crop up fairly regularly in the local press. It's all rubbish! The Lovell telescope itself has many years of life left in it - MERLIN (the British VLBI network) is still run from Jodrell, and the Lovell telescope is still one of the major stations in the European VLBI Network.

The Visitor's Centre is undergoing extensive redevelopment at the moment. The arboretum is still fully accesible, and there is an interim visitor's centre with a 3D theatre, shop and cafe. A new viewing path has also just been completed, giving visitors a 180-degree view of the Lovell telescope.

If you're in the area, drop in and say hi!