In addition to working out the details of making picokeystones for the interstellar candidates, I’ve been working out a method of extracting the high angle “off-normal” tracks in the interstellar collector. Since the collector must remain fastened to the microscope stage, it cannot be rotated in order to align the length of the track with the x-axis of the micromanipulator. The current idea is to make a “rotated keystone” by bending the undercutting needle in an unusual way and using code to rotate all the points of a normal keystone to the angle of the track. I’ll set up such a keystone this afternoon to cut over the weekend.
Dave