Franck Valbousquet of Optique et Vision in France proudly displays the very first 3600GTO, that he affectionately calls the BIG ONE, just before it was shipped off to Dome C in Antarctica. Franck consults to the Laboratoire Universitaire d'Astrophysique de Nice (LUAN) in Nice, France for projects in Antarctica. The RA and Dec axes and motor drive system were produced by Astro-Physics. The polar forks and base were designed and manufactured in France to suit the observing site. Note that the mount was not painted at the request of the research team.

It sure looks cold during the "summer" in Antarctica! Erick Bondoux is a professionnal electronic technician on the Concordia team at Dome C. He is also a French amateur astrophotographer. Such a large mount for a small scope! This year, the mount is being used for preliminary studies. A larger research instrument is nearly completed and scheduled to ship to Dome C in late 2008.

Wood is used extensively as a building material due to the extreme cold conditions. Note the 1200GTO and 900GTO mounts on raised platforms in the background. The snow piles all the way up the support structure during the "winter" months. I plan to add more photos and description of the research project in the near future.