- The Arecibo Observatory is a radio telescope that hunts down dangerous asteroids and helps scientists find alien life.
- It suffered its second devastating cable break in just three months.
- In August Gust, the auxiliary cable broke and tore a hole in the observatory’s reflector dish.
- On Friday, a cable attached to the first broke and crashed into the dish.
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An important astronomical observer has suffered its second catastrophic disaster of the year.
In August Gust, a 3-inch-thick supporting cable at the Arecibo Observatory pulled out of its socket and ripped a 100-foot gauze into the reflector dish below. Then on Friday evening, the same cable broke from the same tower and broke into the dish, causing further damage to the panels as well as other cables.
Officials are investigating the new failure, although they do not yet know why the latest cable snaps. A press release from the University of Central Florida, which operates the telescope, suggests that the break may be related to the extra weight gained since August.
The extent of the new damage was not immediately clear. No one was injured in either incident.
“This is not good, but we are committed to getting the facility back online,” Observatory Director Francisco Cordova said in the release. “It is a very important tool for the advancement of science.”
Many may recognize the observatory of the James Bond film “GoldenEye”, but scientists know it for its contribution to planetary security and the search for alien life. Astronomers use a 20-acre radio telescope to study dangerous asteroids as they fly past the Earth, hoping to identify space rocks on the course of the collision, before they intervene.
Scientists have also used Arecibo to find signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life. In 1974, the Observatory sent the most powerful broadcast to Earth to communicate with potential aliens. In 2016, he discovered the first repeated rapid radio explosions – mysterious space signals that scientists now think come from dead stars.
“Its sensitivity is much higher than any other instrument and it’s much more flexible,” radio astronomer Joanna Rankin of the University of Vermont told Science. “
“It’s very embarrassing if it’s lost,” he said.
Repairs can cost millions of dollars
The Gregorian Dome hangs on the Arecibo Observatory’s 1,000-foot reflector dish in 2012.
Universal Images Group by Getty Images
Engineers will begin repairs from the August crash this week. But after the new failure, they are instead working to secure and stabilize the observatory structure.
The team hopes to be able to reduce the tension in existing cables on the tower and install steel reinforcements to temporarily remove some of the additional load distributed to the remaining cables, the UCF said in a statement.
Observatory managers also have plans to speed up the delivery of two new cables they have previously ordered. Experts will re-evaluate what else is needed when evaluating the structure in the coming days.
The university said there is currently no cost estimate for the repairs needed.
In October, UCFA applied to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for emergency repairs for .5 10.5 million, Science said. When Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck in 2017, the NSFA paid 2 2 million to repair the damage.
UCF The NSFA has allocated .3 12.3 million for four years of repairs and infrastructure improvements in 2019, the report said.
“We prioritized our assessment and safety in the repair plan, which starts on Tuesday. Now this,” Cordova said. “There is a lot of uncertainty until we can stabilize the structure. That is our full focus. We are evaluating the situation with our experts and hope to be able to share soon.”
