NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: Paul Dolkas
Date: 2017 Jul 19, 15:49 -0700
NASA used the same idea during the Apollo days to create a level that would work out on the hot/cold lunar surface. They needed to level the seismometers they left on the moon during their moonwalks, so they used a ball bearing on a concave lens. Granted they didn’t need to be very accurate – within a few degrees of vertical – but it seemed to work just fine. I’m assuming it was assembled and sealed up in a very clean environment.
Paul Dolkas
From: NavList@fer3.com [mailto:NavList@fer3.com] On Behalf Of Noell Wilson
Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2017 1:29 PM
To: paul@dolkas.net
Subject: [NavList] Re: New ways to create false horizons?
Hi Pete,
I tried using a new chromed ball bearing to indicate level on a mirror artificial horizon (AH). The plan was that one simple steel ball on the mirror could substitute for a precision level and, when the ball stopped rolling, the mirror would be perfectly level.
It didn't work.
Dust or stiction or something kept the ball from rolling until the mirror was tilted way out of level.
http://fer3.com/arc/m2.aspx/How-not-level-an-AH-Wilson-jan-2014-g26645
I don't think your curved tube with a steel ball and proximity switches is going to be very accurate.
Regards, Noell
