The Equipment
The site simulates a space station, through both its remote nature and the type of equipment it uses to collect data. Each piece of kit has its function.
1) Radiometer: Measures downwelling radiation from the Sun and reflected or absorbed and remitted radiation from the Earth. This measures visible light (short wave) and heat (long wave) radiation separately
2) Solar panel: Converts sunlight to electricity using photovoltaic cells
3) Protective box which contains the following:-
4) Cosmic ray and background radiation detector: Consists of a pair of geiger counters. Background radiation causes geiger counters to fire individually, whereas high-energy cosmic particles cause both geiger counters to fire simultaneously
5) Batteries: Four batteries store electricity generated by the solar panel to power the system
6) Pressure and temperature sensor: Measures air pressure and inside box temperature on the mountaintop
7) Data logger: gathers and stores data collected at the site before sending it via modem
RAS200 project website
This station is part of the RAS200: Astronomy and Geophysics through the Traditional Culture of Wales project.