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Known for James Bond: 900 tons of giant radio telescope broke
| Reading time: 2 minutes
Now it’s finally history: What was once the world’s largest radio telescope has collapsed
What: dpa / Yamil Rodriguez
It was the setting for a James Bond movie; now the world’s largest radio telescope in Puerto Rico has collapsed. It was only in November that experts warned of a catastrophic failure of the structure.
rel once the world’s largest radio telescope collapsed in Puerto Rico. Due to previous damage, plans had already been made to dismantle the telescope at the Arecibo observatory: On Tuesday, the 900-ton instrument platform fell into the bowl below, according to the US National Science Foundation (NSF). ).
According to initial findings, the tops of the three support towers have been broken. In addition to the bowl, the observatory’s learning center was also seriously damaged by falling steel cables.
“We are saddened by this situation, but grateful that no one was injured,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. Even if the telescope is lost, the remaining parts of the system must be put back into operation.
A picture from November 19 – Experts warned that the cables may no longer be able to carry the load
Source: AFP / RICARDO ARDUENGO
It was not until November 19 that the NSF announced that, according to experts, there was a risk of a catastrophic failure of the telescope’s structure. Your cables may no longer be able to carry the loads intended for them. Repairs are not safely possible; therefore, preparations would be made to disassemble the telescope.
In August, a steel cable about three inches thick supporting a metal platform broke for unknown reasons. As it fell, it broke the reflector of the 30-meter-long telescope and damaged the dome and a platform.
“GoldenEye” served as the backdrop in 1995
In addition, there was damage caused to the observatory by Hurricane Maria 2017. The telescope must be repaired. Then, on November 6, a main cable broke, according to NSF.
The radio telescope in the US suburb of Puerto Rico was the largest in the world at 305 meters in diameter until 2016, when an even larger one went into operation in China. It was also a popular tourist attraction, especially after it was used as a backdrop in the 1995 James Bond film “GoldenEye.”
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American astronomers indirectly observed gravitational waves
The telescope was commissioned in 1963 and ultimately remains one of the most sensitive in the world. In 1974, the American astronomers Russell Hulse and Joseph Taylor discovered with it the double pulsar PSR 1913 + 16, two neutron stars orbiting each other, and indirectly observed gravitational waves with it.
Radio telescopes collect radio waves from space that are converted into images.
