Security concerns indicate that the Arecibo Observatory has been deactivated

Even if you don’t know it by name, the massive futuristic vision of the Arecibo Observatory emerging from the rainforest is certainly an image you have come across during your travels on the Internet.

But today is a sad day as the Arecibo Observatory is shut down following a litany of disruptions.

In August, a support cable snapped causing a huge tear in the telescope’s dish. While the engineering teams were awaiting delivery of two replacement auxiliary cables, one main cable broke.

What makes Arecibo unique is that the entire structure is suspended in the air from three main pillars. This makes telescope repairs quite difficult.

In the case of the latter breakages, the US National Science Foundation (NSF) conducted several repair assessments before deciding to disable the telescope.

“The decision comes after NSF has evaluated multiple evaluations by independent engineering firms who have discovered that the telescope structure is at risk of catastrophic failure and that its cables may no longer be able to carry the loads that they were designed. Furthermore, several evaluations have stated that any attempted repair could put workers in life-threatening life-threatening conditions. Even in the event of future repairs, the engineers found that the structure would likely have long-term stability issues, ”the foundation wrote in a press release.

This decision was not taken lightly as, following a recommendation from Thornton Tomasetti, the record engineering firm hired to evaluate the facility, NSF engaged another engineering firm and the Army Corps of Engineers to examine the results.

“The company hired by NSF agreed with Thornton Tomasetti’s recommendations and expressed concern about the significant danger from an uncontrolled collapse. The Army Corps of Engineers recommended collecting additional photographic evidence of the facility and a full forensic assessment of the broken cable, NSF wrote.

So what caused these breakups?

Put simply, the time and the enormous amount of stress the telescope’s weight put on the suspension cables.

“Over the course of its lifetime, the Arecibo Observatory has helped transform our understanding of the ionosphere, showing us how density, composition and other factors interact to shape this critical region where Earth’s atmosphere meets space,” said the NSF Geospatial Head, Michael Wiltberger, “While I am disappointed with the loss of investigative capabilities, I believe this process is a necessary step to preserve the research community’s ability to utilize the other resources of the Arecibo Observatory and hopefully, ensure that important work can continue at the facility. “

[Image Credit – University of Central Florida]