Progress
Stages from the beginning of the project to the present day
The FRIDA proyect was accepted in March 2005, the contract was officially signed in July 2006 by both parties, UNAM
and GRANTECAN, and since then it has
undergone several arbitrations that have allowed it to go through the preliminary design, prototyping and detailed design stages and
then continue with the manufacturing process, integration and validation of subsystems.
The instrument is currently in the characterization phase, prior to the laboratory acceptance stage. On-site acceptance is expected
by the end of 2024 and commissioning by mid 2025.
PDR
The initial proposal for the instrument underwent an initial arbitration that justified the signing of the contract with
the project office in July 2006.
Subsequently, in August 2007, the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) was conducted, whose reviewers were Rene Rutten (ING),
Bernhard Brandl
(University of Leiden), Bernard Dalabre (ESO), and David Montgomery (ATC).
Comments and suggestions to the proposed designs led to the development of prototypes for the two mechanisms with the most stringent specifications:
the Focal Plane Wheel and the Grating Carousel, as well as for the Collimator, which would serve to validate the design of the mounts for the other
optical components: four cameras and the spectrograph.
From 2008 to 2011 the validation tests of these prototypes were carried out using two test cryostats Colibri and FCTF, built specifically for this purpose.
(See design and architecture)
CDR
In September 2011, the project presented the results of the prototypes at the Critical Design Review (CDR). On this occasion the
reviewers were David Sprayberry (NOAO), Bernhard Brandl, Bernhard Brandl
and Gary Müllerller (NOAO) who approved the concepts
of the prototype designs giving the green light for their transfer to the final designs of all subsystems.
(Ver diseño y arquitectura)
Manufacturing, integration and validation testing
Subsystems
The first subsystems manufactured and tested were:
During the validation tests, several modifications were made that allowed, finally, to reach a design with which the requirements demanded for each one were fulfilled, and from these designs it was possible to transfer the results to the other subsystems allowing their manufacture and assembly, integration and testing process (AIV).
From these designs it was possible to transfer the results to the other subsystems allowing their manufacture and assembly, integration and testing process.
Along with the AIV process of the optical subsystems and components, work was also done on the design of the cryostat. Tests were carried out with the help of the two test cryostats Colibri and FCTF to achieve the final design of the cold and adiabatic shields, thermal links, as well as the use of different materials such as Maylar®, black paint, etc. to improve the insulation and the cooling and heating processes.
FRIDA
Once all FRIDA subsystems were approved, the instrument was integrated. The first
vacuum tests, with mechanical pumps only, and cooling tests, with liquid nitrogen, were
performed at CIDESI's facilities in Querétaro.
It was transported to Mexico City on August 26, 2022.
The closed cycle coolers (CCC) were integrated and high vacuum and cooling tests were performed with the CCCs and liquid nitrogen, to conclude with the testing of the cryostat without subsystems. Once these tests were completed, the cryogenic wiring and all the subsystems were integrated on the cold base, and then the optical alignment of all the components on the cold base was performed.
Current News
The instrument is currently in the characterization stage and first functional tests under operating conditions. Once these tests are concluded, the engineering detector will be installed, and once validated, the laboratory acceptance stage could begin.
