[dj_mc_merlin]

>> If they couldn't just blow air through it

They could:

> Meanwhile, the engineer Hans Kautzky created a “magnetic ferret” to deal with the debris in the main ring. He attached a dozen Mylar disks to a stainless steel rod, along with a flexible, 700-meter stainless steel cable—the equivalent of Felicia’s string—and a metal-attracting permanent magnet—the counterpart to the cleaning swab. He shot the device through a section of the main ring with compressed air.

>> Did it come down to a $35+maintenance ferret being lower cost?

Probably, since the guy who suggested it was brought there specifically for that reason.

[neilv]

Thanks, I thought I read the entire article, but somehow missed that.

> Probably, since the guy who suggested it was brought there specifically for that reason.

Meaning it could be the creative frugal solution for which they were hired, or that it was a good faith attempt towards same, or (in some analogous business situations, I'd guess not in this one) there's incentive to do appear to be doing something.

There was also PR value, including the appearance of being frugal, if there was grumbling about cost of the facility.