In another disappointing shock for this second favorite feature, another cable reflector has fallen on the dish at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.
The main support cable of the Ci Resibo Observatory failed and fell on the following dish on Friday, November 6, at 7:30 a.m. Puerto Rico time. Reports UCF Today. The extent of the damage is not yet known, but like some cables nearby, the dish was further damaged. No one was injured, but a safety zone has been set up around the facility as a precaution. With two failed support cables in three months, feedback teams now need to find a way to stabilize the structure.
First Event On 10 August Gust, when a 3-inch-thick auxiliary cable fell on the observatory’s main reflector dish, creating a 10-foot-long gash. The cause of the failure has not yet been determined, but the support cable appears to have protruded from its socket. This does not appear to be the case for the main cable, which was easily broken, possibly as a result of the extra weight imposed on the remaining cables, observatory officials said. As UCF Reports today, officials were aware of broken wires on the main cable, and engineers were due to make emergency repairs this week.
Like a failed auxiliary cable, the main cable connects to the main support tower. Following this incident of last August Gust. Gregorian dome And the platform used to access the dome. G. of University An. Under a cooperative agreement with Mendez and Yang Enterprise, U.S. The facility at Arecibo is operated by the University of Central Florida on behalf of the National Science Foundation.
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Here is what Francisco Cordova, director of the observatory, told the UCF In response to this latest incident today:
“We do not want to see this for sure, but the important thing is that no one is injured. We remain thoughtful in our assessment and priority safety in the repairs plan starting Tuesday. Now this. There is a lot of uncertainty as far as we can stabilize the structure. That is our full attention. We are evaluating the situation with our experts and hope to share more soon. ”
The feedback team will try to reduce the tension in the existing cable by installing steel reinforcements – which they will want to do as soon as possible. The team also hopes to expedite the purchase of two new support cables currently on order. These plans could be developed in the next few days as the situation is further assessed.
Progress has been made in Arecibo Slow down Since the August incident, officials have struggled to pinpoint the cause of the auxiliary cable failure. The failed socket, for example, was sent to NASA for forensic analysis. Arecibo officials had earlier asked the National Science Foundation for the funds needed for the temporary repairs, but the estimated cost of the repairs is not yet known. The observatory, built in 1960, has a long history Financial uncertainty, In addition to permanent damage Hurricanes And Earthquake.
We’ve reached out to Arecibo to learn more about recent losses and other details, and we’ll update this post if we should hear back.
All of this is very sad, as Arecibo plans some very valuable scientific work. In addition to contributing to the discovery of extraterrestrial intelligence (CET), the dish is used for radio astronomy and meteorology and astronomy. Importantly, the observatory is also in search of potentially dangerous-for-earth objects.
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