As the first one in the world, the "retina" of the "500-meter spherical radio telescope" (FAST) is an active reflecting surface, which can change its shape, one is spherical and the other is parabolic.
Specifically, this huge movable "retina" is a cable net composed of 6670 steel cables, suspended on a ring beam with a diameter of 500 meters supported by 50 huge steel columns; There are 4450 pieces and more than 380 kinds of reflecting surface units on the cable net; There are 2225 stay cables under the cable net, and each stay cable is fixed to an actuator on the ground. By manipulating the actuator, pulling the cable and changing the shape of the cable net, astronomical signals can be collected and observed.
The patented technology of "500-meter spherical radio telescope (FAST)" has been applied in many fields.
The team of "500-meter spherical radio telescope (FAST)" dares to think and do it, which is difficult and challenging. The process of design and construction is not only a process of overcoming difficulties, but also a process of innovation. Many patented technologies with independent intellectual property rights have been born and applied in China. For example, ultra-high fatigue cable structure is applied to large stadiums, and high-precision cable structure production system is applied to the construction of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.
In the whole manufacturing and installation process, many national and provincial construction methods have also been produced. For example, in the process of laying the "retina" for the "500-meter spherical radio telescope (FAST)", 4,450 reflection units, 6,670 steel cables and tens of thousands of joint bearings were all assembled by workers at an altitude of tens of meters, and the fault tolerance rate was zero. These complicated construction methods will contribute to the accurate construction of large-scale complex projects in the future.