How many problems have they had with this thing leading up to this point?
Ask Gilligan.
Don’t know how many. I think the most serious problem so far was when start-up was delayed a few months because several of the large magnets were found at the last minute not to meet specs.
April 2007: “A 43-foot-long magnet for the world’s largest particle collider broke “with a loud bang and a cloud of dust’’ during a high-pressure test,...”
“Fermilab said the failure that broke a glass cloth-epoxy laminate support resulted from a test of “asymmetric’’ or irregular force. Subsequent testing showed that the support was inadequate to withstand the longitudinal forces, which had been overlooked in the design process.” “We are dumbfounded that we missed some very simple balance of forces.’’
http://www.livescience.com/technology/070403_cern_prob.html
(Wonder what else they “overlooked in the design process”?)