Content Developer Rupert Cole on unboxing objects from CERN for Collider, a new Science Museum exhibition opening in November 2013.
There are not many things that would persuade me to wait for a van in the rain at 7am; but this was not to be missed. For on this particular cold, wet and early morning at the Science Museum, our hotly-anticipated Collider objects were due to arrive from CERN.
8am. An hour on and the van was here. Evidently, good objects come to those who wait.
Maybe it was the fact we had been working with only object dimensions and tiny pictures, but the first sight of even just the crates, in their various sizes and shapes, suddenly made the exhibition feel all the more real and tangible.
Broadly there were two concerns. Was everything there? And how to shift a two-tonne superconducting dipole magnet, aka “the Beast”? Luckily, on hand to help with the latter was a forklift truck – naturally, delivered by a bigger truck.
Once the two-tonne Beast had been fork-lifted over to the Goods Lift (conveniently situated up a slope) there was the small matter of getting it in. At this stage, ascertaining whether everything had come relied on the skilful art of imagining which object might fit in which crate. Given the variety of objects, ranging from a 22-cm delicate crystal detector piece to a whopping 2-metre-long iron magnet, guessing according to the logic of packing was relatively straight forward.
Later, came the Christmas-esque joy of cracking open the crates and seeing the LHC treasures in the flesh. Looking at the cross-section cut of the dipole magnet, it was nice to see that even “the Beast” had a friendly face.
After the museum conservators have polished various nooks and crannies, and the workshop team have made some mounts, the objects will be installed into this empty gallery – and soon after that, the gallery will make its dramatic transformation into the world’s greatest scientific experiment.
Come and experience the sights and sounds of CERN at Collider, a new immersive exhibition opening this November at the Science Museum. Book tickets here.