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The platform of Arecibo Observatory it collapsed on the morning of this Tuesday. The news was disclosed, on their social networks, and from sources of the observatory’s employees, by the meteorologists on the Puerto Rican island Ada Monzón and Deborah Martorell.
The radio telescope – one of the largest in the world – had a 305-meter reflector plate, installed in a natural depression, and a 900-ton Gregorian dome or instrument platform, hanging 450 feet high.
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Photograph dated June 15, 1962, provided by the Arecibo Observatory, showing the beginning of the installation of the support triangle for the radio telescope platform in Arecibo.
The platform remained suspended by support cables connected to three towers. Precisely, two of these cables were the ones that collapsed, on August 10 and November 6, compromising the stability of the structure.
At the moment, there are no reports of people injured after the collapse.
“It is a very great sadness, because yesterday I was there,” says meteorologist Deborah Martorell. While there I heard how the threads of one of the cables broke. Six broke over the weekend and one broke while there. Already (the employees) knew that there was no law to fall, that there was less than a week left. The way the threads broke was so fast that there was no way to stabilize it. That point was passed (stabilizing it) barely a week ago ”, the expert told El Nuevo Día.
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Just in previous days, more than 52,000 people had signed a popular petition to the White House so that the decision to dismantle and demolish the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico is reconsidered.
On November 19, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced the dismantling and controlled demolition of the 305-meter radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory, due to security problems after the breakage of two cables.
The telescope houses the world’s most powerful planetary radar system, responsible for critical tracking observations of asteroids.
The director of NSF, Sethuraman Panchanathan, then explained that the priority when making the decision was security, which was compromised by the situation in which the structure was.
“There was a risk of collapse,” Panchanathan said at the time, referring to three reports from as many engineering firms contracted to assess the damage. The decision, he explained, in no case had anything to do with scientific issues and that there is no date yet for the demolition, although it was expected to take place in the coming weeks.
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Martorell indicated that today there is not only sadness within the scientific community, but there is a lot of courage among the employees of the Observatory, since since August they indicated to the NSF that the facility was salvageable and there were opportunities for its rehabilitation for the sake of avoiding the news that is highlighted today.
“There is a lot of courage in the scientific community because it could have been avoided. The bureaucracy and the waiting of the NSF destroyed the platform of the Arecibo Observatory. It was very difficult because yesterday there was a lot of sadness, a lot of regret and worry there. They were very nervous because they knew that at some point it could happen, but they did not want it to happen, ”he told the newspaper El Nuevo Día by telephone.
Image of damage to the structure of the Arecibo telescope.
The Governor of Puerto Rico, Wanda Vázquez, last Saturday sent a letter to the director of the NSF, in English) to reconsider the decision announced last week to dismantle the Arecibo Observatory, the world center for astronomy.
The governor’s letter recalled that since the Observatory of
Arecibo, almost six decades ago, Puerto Rico, the NSF and the scientific community have collaborated successfully.
The menu also highlighted that it is an emblematic place in the modern history of Puerto Rico. “As you are aware, the economy of Puerto Rico has suffered enormous challenges in recent years due to the fiscal crisis, hurricanes, earthquakes and more recently due to the covid-19 pandemic. The Observatory of
Arecibo has represented a significant scientific relevance, both for research and academic purposes, so it is critical to keep this facility operational, being the world’s largest radio telescope“, read the letter.
“The tourism industry is one of our primary sources of economic development. Having been impacted by all the incidents of nature, it is important to note that the observatory for decades has been one of our main attractions for tourists worldwide,” he highlights.
There were filmed several films of Hollywood like “Golden Eye”, from the James Bond saga, and “Contact”, starring Jodie Foster.
The goodbye of this emblem of Puerto Rico means leaving behind what has been a fundamental part of the world scientific community for the last half century.
The Arecibo Observatory’s radio telescope allowed scientists to observe exotic objects and events in space and mysterious explosions of radio waves.
It was also a key tool in the search for asteroids orbiting close to Earth helping astronomers find objects that could potentially pose a threat to the planet.
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