The iconic Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico was damaged last week when a large cable fell on the radio telescope’s main reflector dish. We are now learn more about this unfortunate incident, inclusive how long it may take until the beleagured observatory is back online.
In the early morning of Monday, August 10, a thick auxiliary cable was used to support a metal platform dropped on the main reflector dish, producing a 100-foot-long gash. The golf ball-like Gregorian dome was also damaged, as was a platform used to access the dome, which contained a multi-beam receiver. No one was injured in the incident, but scientific work at Puerto Rico’s famous Arecibo Observatory is now underway. pending repairs.
Speaking at a virtual press conference on August 14, Francisco Córdova, director of the Arecibo Observatory, described it as an “unusual event” and said the cables, which were installed about 20 years ago, would take 15 to 20 years. . Importantly, however, the cable did not snap. After all, the 3-inch thick cable slides out of a socket on one of the observatory’s three support towers, he said.
Tthe exact cause of the failure is not yet known. Ray Lugo, director of the Florida Space Institute, is now overseeing the investigation, which is still in its early stages, as he explained during the press conference. Lugo declined to “speculate on a time frame” for the repairs, saying the investigation is the current focus, as is the need to protect people working at the facility. Only until a reason for the failure is determined can a time frame for repairs be determined, he said.
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Lindley Johnson, director of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Bureau, was more likely to agree on August 17 meeting of NASA’s Planetary Science Advisory Advisory Committee, which said Arecibo will likely be “several months” without a mission like SpaceNews reports.
The Arecibo Observatory is primarily funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), but NASA also contributes to the observatory, which it uses to track and study nearEarth asteroids.
“Damage to Arecibo is still being assessed by the management of the observatory at the University of Central Florida, after which the NSF will consult with stakeholders, including NASA, to determine how to proceed,” a NASA spokesman said. in an email.
About 655 feet of cable (200 meters) fell on the dish, and given that the cable weighed 66 kg (30 kg) per meter, which is “several tons of material that falls on the dish,” Johnson said. Radar equipment used by NASA was not damaged, he added.
Córdova said 250 primary reflector panels were damaged by the falling cable, as well several support cables under the primary dish. The “priority is not a replacement,” he said, given the court has provided 40,000 panels. This is “no big deal,‘Because the’ primary reflector is in good shape, ‘”he said. Even more complicated at the moment is knowing if the platform has maintained the structural integrity needed to go through operations and “if it is safe for the team to be here,” Córdova said. Fortunately, he expects to find no damage in the Gregorian dome, including around its receivers and senders.
The researchers do not yet know if HHurricane Maria, which devastated the island three years ago, had something to do with the failure. A variety of astronomical work has now been discontinued, such as a study of gravitational waves and NASA planetary defensee project to track asteroids up close, Córdova explained.
The imaging observatory, in addition to dealing with persistent fiscal uncertainty, experienced some damage when Hthe hurricane Maria struck in 2017. For the team at Arecibo, this latest commitment is just “another bump in the road,” Córdova said, adding: “We are a fairly resilient band, and we claimed that to Mary. ”
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