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- The historic Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico has had a difficult year after a partial collapse in August.
- There have been two additional landslides and the telescope is scheduled for destruction soon.
- The telescope cables have failed and, more recently, a large platform fell from its perch high above the dish.
The huge radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico has had as rough a year as any of us. The structure suffered a collapse and severe damage in August, and as engineers planned repairs, further damage occurred, leading to the difficult decision to dismantle the telescope entirely.
Now, a few weeks after the decision was made to demolish the telescope, the structure has started to take care of that on its own, collapsing further and posing an interesting problem for workers tasked with breaking it down. The telescope, which has been offline for some time, is now really dead.
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How CNN Reports, the news of the new damage was announced by the National Science Foundation, which manages the observatory. This new twist comes in the form of a platform that had been hanging dangerously over the plate and falling, creating additional damage and causing even more headaches for people who will have to try to dismantle the telescope without hurting themselves or others.
“The instrument platform of the 305 m telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico fell overnight. No injuries were reported. NSF is working with stakeholders to assess the situation. Our top priority is maintaining security. NSF will release more details when confirmed, ”the National Science Foundation said in a tweet. “NSF is saddened by this development. As we move forward, we will look for ways to help the scientific community and maintain our strong relationship with the people of Puerto Rico. “
After the original collapse in August, it was believed that the telescope could be repaired and used again. Engineers began planning how to get the telescope back into working order, and while they waited for the delivery of some support cables to aid them in repairs, another cable broke. This, the National Science Foundation said, was a sign that the remaining structure was not in good enough condition to make it safe to embark on repair operations. It was then decided that the telescope would be dismantled and destroyed in the near future.
Now the structure seems to be getting impatient with the destruction timeline and is doing it on its own. That’s not great, especially when workers will try to disassemble the telescope without unexpected collapses or cable failures. One way or another, the telescope is going down, so let’s keep our fingers crossed that no one gets hurt in the process.
Mike Wehner has reported on technology and video games for the past decade, covering the latest news and trends in virtual reality, wearable devices, smartphones, and future technology. Most recently, Mike served as a technology editor at The Daily Dot and has been featured in USA Today, Time.com, and in many other print and web media. His love of reporting is second only to his addiction to games.
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