Cal Tech was taking no chances with the world's most precious piece of glass. As it dared the perils of Southern California highways last week, the 200-inch mirror for the giant Mt. Palomar telescope, 160 miles away, was insured with Lloyd's for $600,000 and was escorted by 15 cops.
Starting time (3:30 a.m. from Pasadena) was concealed from the public as if the mirror's last move were a military offensive. The specially strengthened trailer, weighing 60 tons with the mirror and its wooden case, moved at five to ten miles an hour. At first the roadsides were empty, but as the news...
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