Recently recognized chemically incompatible parts have cost observatories time and money. To prevent this from happening in our spectrograph, we seek to prescreen our parts using a novel approach. We will fill UV cuvettes with sample Cargille fluids and submerge in that fluid a small sample of material (vulcanized rubber, silicone, Teflon, etc.). We will then observe the spectrum as the fluid becomes contaminated. Our data will ensure the integrity of GMACS and future spectrographs.

For more information, see the Cargille Test Proposal written for the Texas A&M Undergraduate Scholars Program.