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The science complex has also appeared in many films, series and games. Here’s how you remember it.
The second largest single camera radio telescope in the world, the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, is finally coming to an end. In recent months, there have been two serious failures of its supporting structure, which have caused extensive damage.
Although the observatory has announced efforts to repair and save the complex, with the help of the required $ 10 million financial injection, it will not be repaired, Space News reported.
Instead, the telescope operator, the US National Science Foundation (NSF), has announced its “controlled dismantling” and then its final dismantling.
What happened?
The Arecibo Observatory was inaugurated in 1963 and until 2016 was the largest single camera radio telescope in the world. From the throne was overthrown by the Chinese FAST.
The sphere reflector, the large “plate” of the Arecibo telescope, has a diameter of 305 meters. About 140 meters above it, in the center is a large metal platform with dipoles in the air. It weighs about 900 tons and is held above the reflector by steel cables that start from three support towers.
There was a serious accident in August of this year, in which one of the cables broke away from the support and fell into the spotlight, in which it made a “scar” of about 30 meters.
In the center of the 305 meter wide mirror is a large platform, which is held in the air by a series of steel ropes.
Source: Arecibo Observatory, National Science Foundation, University of Central Florida
Shortly before the scheduled repairs begin, on November 6, there was another failure. On the same tower, another cable probably broke due to the increased load, which caused further damage.
It was already rumored at the time that if another cable failed on the tower, the 900-ton platform with scientific equipment would collapse.
Repairs could lead to collapse
NSF announced Thursday night that, despite previous plans, it would not attempt to repair the telescope. After consulting with experts, it was concluded that reconstruction would not have been possible without the risk of injury to the masons and ordinary workers of the complex.
The institution has announced that it will dismantle the telescope. However, only the radio telescope itself must terminate, not the associated parts of the observatory, which must continue to function.
The November incident was unexpected, as closer inspection showed that the cable in question broke at a load that was only 60% of its expected life. This has raised concern that the carrying capacity of the remaining cables holding the structure in the air may also be reduced.
This was later confirmed by detailed inspections, when engineers discovered damage to several other original cables, which date back to the 1960s. NSF also mentioned the “significant slippage” of some adapted cables in the 1990s. They should have been released from their holds.
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“Even though we unfortunately have to make such a recommendation, we believe that the structure should be demolished in a controlled manner as soon as pragmatically possible,” said Thornton Tomasetti, who assessed the technical condition of the telescope.
Finally, NSF made a recommendation on its recommendation, taking into account the valuation of other companies hired by the operator for this purpose. For example, there was a risk that a possible load test to more accurately determine the bearing capacity of the remaining cables would cause the entire structure to fall.
Maybe it was a few days
The sad thing about the whole case is the fact that, with any luck, the telescope was able to be rescued. The failure of the second support cable occurred just four days before the scheduled repairs of the damage caused by the August accident began.
If the load on the remaining support cables could be at least partially reduced during work, theoretically further complications could be avoided and the radio telescope could ultimately be saved.
“We were very careful in our assessment of the situation and prioritized safety when we planned repairs, which were due to start on Tuesday. And now this,” said Francisco Cordova, the observatory chief, shortly after the second incident.
He announced at that time the first works to relieve the load on the construction of the telescope, but as it turned out now, it was too late.
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NSF currently added that after the first incident and subsequent evaluation, the facility was marked as stable and the operator did not foresee that there would be a risk of another cable failure.
Tribute from NASA
Arecibo has achieved many scientific results. Research has focused primarily on pulsars. It also provided data to the well-known SETI @ home project, which focused on finding intelligent life outside of our solar system. Under it, the public can lend unused energy to their data analysis equipment.
The National Aviation and Space Authority (NASA) also commented on the sad fate of the telescope, which used the complex as part of a project to observe objects flying close to Earth.
“It allowed NASA to fully characterize the exact orbits, sizes and shapes of some nearby objects flying in the radio beam,” he said, underlining the NSF’s decision to protect the safety of personnel working or visiting the science complex. .
“For decades, the device has been an important emblem of Puerto Rico’s commitment to scientific research and international education, and the discoveries made by the 305-meter Arecibo radio telescope will continue to inspire future generations of explorers,” writes the NASA.
Also famous in Hollywood
Since the Arecibo radio telescope has been the largest in the world for over half a century, it has also appeared in pop culture.
We could see it, for example, in 1995’s Bondovka Golden Eye. If you want to remember the famous scientific instrument at least in this form, you will soon have the opportunity. The entire film series, including the part with Pierce Brosnan in the lead role will arrive on the HBO Go streaming service in a few days.
Arecibo radio telescope at Bondovka Golden Eye (GoldenEye):
In addition, he also appeared in the films Mutant, Kontakt and the opening work of the second series of Nudes X in the 1990s.
Arecibo’s fame hasn’t escaped the gaming industry either. There is a “Rogue Transmission” map in Battlefield 4’s first-person shooter, and although located in China, the radio telescope itself is inspired by the Puerto Rico team.
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