Famous Arecibo Observatory Puerto Rico has suffered another major blow in a difficult year that has seen two broken cables damage a delicate dish.
At the heart of the facility is a huge, delicate radio telescope built into the island’s geology and surrounded by forest. The Arecibo Observatory has been in operation for more than five decades, including perhaps the most famous broadcast in 1974, the so-called Arecibo Message, which was meant to update any intelligent life about our technical skills. But recently, the observatory has been hit hard: first it suffered “Relatively small“Damage during Hurricane Maria of 2017; already this year it is surviving a group Earthquake in January And then lost one of them Thick cableIs, which snapped into na gust and damaged the dish. Now, the second cable is broken just three months later.
“We certainly don’t want to see this, but the important thing is that no one is injured,” said Francisco Cordova, director of the observatory. Said in a statement Published by the University of Central Florida, which operates the facility.
Related: Arecibo Observatory: Huge radio telescope in Puerto Rico in the photo
“We were evaluated and safety was a priority in the repair plan, which starts on Tuesday,” Cordova said, referring to plans to repair a broken cable in August Gust. “Now this. 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 share more soon.”
According to the statement, the newly broken cable was one of the main supporting cables connecting the main tower from the same tower damaging the dish in ingust. That cable came out of its socket and potentially put more weight on the cable in November and damaged another cable and the main dish, the university said.
No injuries were reported but the observatory was asked to limit access to the area. Now, inspection personnel hope to be able to install reinforcements in the tower to protect other cables, while evaluating what additional repairs will be needed.
“This is not good, but we are committed to getting the facility back online,” Cordova said. “It is a very important tool for the advancement of science.”
Email Meghan Bartel at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @meghanbartels. Follow us On Twitter @speed.com and Facebook.
