Cosmic rays are constantly raining down on Earth, yet the rays containing high energy particles are still largely a mystery.  We don't know where they come from, how they are produced, or how they are accelerated at such a high energy.  In the depths of western Argentina, the people at the Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory work tirelessly to try to solve some of these mysteries.

     Professor Insolia explains that the highest energy particles are very rare.  Earth only gets hit with about one particle per square kilometer per century, so a large area needs to be monitored to detect these particles.  "Once we get enough of these events," he states, "we can try to understand what they are...  Once we identify the particles and the possible sources, the interplay between the particles and the source, we will be able to gain an estimation  of the galactic to intergalactic magnetic field."

     In order to track these high energy particles, the Auger Observatory has created precise 440 pixel cameras.  "The light reflects off the segmented mirror," Insolia explains, "so that the camera can register the points of light from far away.  The nice thing is that the camera is not flat.  The profile is the same as the focal surface of a mirror."  The importance of these technical details led to a collaboration with Meccanotecnica Riesi.

     Designed by an engineer of the National Laboratory of South (INFN -  Catania)  Meccanotecnica Riesi has produced  27 paraboloids for the Auger Observatory and are working on a few more.  These paraboloids make up the body of the telescopes used in the P. Auger Observatory.  The complex nature of this project led to the purchase of new machinery:  the Milling and Boring Universal Machine DMU 125P Numerical Control Heidenheim Deckel Maho.

     Each parabola is created from an enormous piece of aluminum weighing about 400 kg.  The final product weights about 40 kg.  To whittle out the final product from the initial piece of aluminum takes about 22 hours.  Though the surface is less than one square meter, each parabola has 440 holes.  Each hole has a center point with the focus of the parabola. 

     Initially, there was a public bid for this project.  Price was a consideration, but the real concern was whether a company was really capable of completing the project.  Meccanotecnica had the lowest bid and the capabilities necessary; "You have done really great work with the parabola," Insolia praises.  "Everybody agrees that the design is perfect from the mechanical point of view.  There is not a single problem with these cameras.  The quality, according to everybody, is top class."

     Despite the possibility of problems due to the international nature of this project, the Auger Observatory and Meccanotecnica have worked together perfectly.  "Meccanotecnica is a jewel," Insolia continues.  "You already have the machine, the software, the program... you save us money.  You know exactly what we need."