# What is this thing? \[Strange grid ball\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 12, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989 "2013-01-12T20:37:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/141 "2013-01-15T16:45:13Z")
It could be some kind of test, like an IQ test. See how long it takes to disassemble it, mix up the pieces and re-assemble it. And little images could be placed into each piece, turning it into a 3D jigsaw puzzle. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/142 "2013-01-15T16:52:45Z")
> [@AndrewL](#): > > The only way this makes sense is if the tubing (and rest of the device) needed to be disassembled because it was full of something that solidified in place. Another possibility is that there are constraints on the manufacturing process. If it’s made of some material that cannot be machined, and only molded, you might come up with something like this. But even then, they should have been able to use much fewer pieces than this. > [@](#): > > The only way the way this object is constructed, with so many small pieces, makes sense to me is if each piece needed to be machined to a precise shape. Someone needed to cast a fairly precise sphere out of something, probably for an exacting engineering purpose. I have to disagree. Bolted interfaces have poor tolerance; you can’t get good precision by bolting hundreds of precision pieces together. You get much better precision by machining it from as few pieces as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/143 "2013-01-15T16:55:18Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > It could be some kind of test, like an IQ test. See how long it takes to disassemble it, mix up the pieces and re-assemble it. And little images could be placed into each piece, turning it into a 3D jigsaw puzzle. It could be some kind of IQ test. Leave it where it will come to the attention of a community of self-proclaimed smarty types, and see how long it takes them to think up a possible purpose for it. 😃 Communications are out into the university to see if I can get a better answer. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/144 "2013-01-15T17:05:38Z")
> [@whc.03grady](#): > > There’s no way it’s part of something like a neutron detector or plasmatotron or whatever other insanely expensive pieces of equipment have been mentioned; it wouldn’t’ve been discarded so casually like that. Even insanely expensive pieces of equipment can become obsolete - especially hardware that was custom built for a specific purpose. Research laboratories tend to be full of equipment that originally cost a fortune to construct, but they no longer have any use for, and not even worth the storage space it takes up. Fixtures made for a specific test for projects long since ended, prototypes that didn’t work out, even hardware that nobody knows what it’s for because the people who originally designed and built it have long since left. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/145 "2013-01-15T17:10:09Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > I have to disagree. Bolted interfaces have poor tolerance; you can’t get good precision by bolting hundreds of precision pieces together. You get much better precision by machining it from as few pieces as possible. Which is why the current generation of telescopes use mirrors composed of dozens or hundreds of primary mirror segments? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/146 "2013-01-15T17:21:56Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > Which is why the current generation of telescopes use mirrors composed of dozens or hundreds of primary mirror segments? Assuming you’re right, are these telescope reflectors _4 feet across_ and made from hundreds of parts? The issue is scale. It’s worth making a 10 metre dome out of lots of pieces - but so far, a really compelling reason for making this comparatively small sphere out of so many parts has not emerged. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/147 "2013-01-15T17:53:54Z")
Could it be an integrating sphere? What did the inside look like? Seems a funny way to make an integrating sphere unless the material was critical. I would think an integrating sphere for microwaves would not be made of metal as it you would set up standing waves and it would act as a cavity. Could it be a maser cavity? ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/148 "2013-01-15T18:18:07Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > Which is why the current generation of telescopes use mirrors composed of dozens or hundreds of primary mirror segments? These mirrors are currently made of a lot of segments so that the mirror can be adjusted in real time to account for atmospheric distortion. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/149 "2013-01-15T18:22:53Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > Which is why the current generation of telescopes use mirrors composed of dozens or hundreds of primary mirror segments? Telescope designers only use the multi-mirror design when absolutely necessary - generally only when there is no facility in the world that can make a single mirror of the desired size. The [Steward Observatory Mirror Lab](http://mirrorlab.as.arizona.edu/) at the Univ. of Arizona produces the largest telescope mirrors in the world, but that only goes up to 8.4 meters or so. As far as I know, segmented design is only used for telescopes larger than this, or by organizations/countries that don’t have access to this facility. Segmented telescopes are technically very challenging. The only way to make multiple mirrors act as a single high-quality telescope mirror is to put actuators on each segment and use those for alignment. Most (maybe all) segmented telescopes us active electronic control to keep the mirrors aligned at all times. You _definitely_ can’t just bolt together a few mirrors and leave it at that. ---
**Author:** ![60wag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/7ba0ec/32.png) [@60wag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/60wag)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/150 "2013-01-15T19:58:00Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Once I started including ‘sculpture’ in my google image searches, I found some promising results - including: > > [http://www.allenpeterson.com/portfolio/modular-sculpture](http://www.allenpeterson.com/portfolio/modular-sculpture) The segmented pipe in one of the pix on this site looks a lot like the pipe attached to the ball. Unfortuantely I could not link it to any other info other than it is cast iron. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/151 "2013-01-15T20:55:16Z")
Reminded me of this: [http://io9.com/pressure-chamber/](http://io9.com/pressure-chamber/) Also Epcot Center. . . But I’m thinking maybe a pressure chamber from a huge air conditioning system? If the pressure nozzle entered there in a large commercial system, then they’d want the forming liquid to go in several different directions. And those things have to be periodically resurfaced, as contaminants build up on the walls. Or, if the interior is mirror-smooth, it could have been some sort of experiment to do with bouncing lasers around inside specific gases. That would explain the need for smaller, flat surfaces throughout. I find the top section most interesting. Are those multiple triangles bolted together, or is the cap just one piece? If one piece, what would be the purpose of conitnuing the seams? That would imply a need for high pressure resistance. Bathysphere-type collection vessel for deep-sea exploration? ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/152 "2013-01-15T20:58:22Z")
Was there anyone inside it? ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/153 "2013-01-15T21:02:05Z")
Might the segments be required for large temperature changes? Like expansion joints? ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/154 "2013-01-15T21:24:34Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I find the top section most interesting. Are those multiple triangles bolted together, or is the cap just one piece? If one piece, what would be the purpose of conitnuing the seams? That would imply a need for high pressure resistance. Actually, pressure vessels have as few seams as possible. That’s one reason I’m convinced that whatever this is, it wasn’t designed to hold or resist any significant pressure. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/155 "2013-01-15T21:28:36Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > I had a thought: it’s an “inner mold,” a form around which some material is poured, providing a 3-D stamp for the inside of some object. > > I’m thinking something like a lost-wax process. In which case this inner mold form should have been melted out. Or else molecularly rearranged when it’s job was done. But if they could do that, they wouldn’t need a mold. Maybe. > > So: the structure (whose external shape we do not know) for which it was used is out there or has been destroyed. > [@Leaffan](#): > > Too elaborate with too many pieces just to serve as an inside mold. There would be no need to have so many discrete parts bolted together only to serve as a mold release object. Well, maybe yes maybe no. “Too elaborate,” “no need”…_for whom?_ Or _what_? 😕:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/156 "2013-01-15T22:05:14Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > It could be some kind of IQ test. Leave it where it will come to the attention of a community of self-proclaimed smarty types, and see how long it takes them to think up a possible purpose for it. > > 😃 > > Communications are out into the university to see if I can get a better answer. If they tell you, they may have to kill you. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/157 "2013-01-15T22:16:13Z")
**NitroPress** , is that picture full resolution, or do you have a higher resolution copy? (Because I’m sure we’re just a few pixels shy of being able to figure out what it is. :)) ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/158 "2013-01-15T23:35:41Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Might the segments be required for large temperature changes? Like expansion joints? Expansion joints are only necessary for objects that are fixed to something else that doesn’t expand at the same rate - e.g. a concrete road surface attached to the ground. It doesn’t make sense for an apparently free-standing object like this. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/159 "2013-01-15T23:43:43Z")
Can you get some more photos, and use a zoom to get better detail? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/160 "2013-01-16T00:00:21Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Well, maybe yes maybe no. “Too elaborate,” “no need”…_for whom?_ Or _what_? 😕:eek: It can’t be an inside mould - the bolts holding it all together are on the outside - so you’d never be able to dismantle it inside the cavity. I guess it could be designed to be permanently entombed in concrete, but it’s absurdly complex for that (or indeed anything) Consider the section with the hole that is facing us (on the ‘equator’ of the thing) - the plate with the hole is exactly the same size as four of the adjacent sections - that means there was no apparent reason to make those sections that small. Now compare the sections near the top of the thing to those at the equator - they are again about one quarter of the size - what possible reason could there be to make this thing out of so many tiny bits? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989.md?page=9)