The petition to the White House calls for action to save the Arecibo telescope

Last week, the National Science Foundation made the difficult decision to demolish the iconic Arecibo radio telescope after engineers determined that the facility is currently at serious risk of unexpected and uncontrolled collapse. In an effort to save the 57-year-old telescope, scientists, teachers and students are using the #WhatAreciboMeansToMe hashtags to share the impact of the observatory in their life and in the scientific world. A Twitter account called Save the Arecibo Observatory was also created, reports ABC News.

These are just some of the reasons why #SaveTheAO The team says #Thanks Arecibo. 📡❤️

Remember to sign the petition to help us #SaveTheAreciboObservatory!

➡️https://t.co/yzTQS4xGLi pic.twitter.com/9thqKYweog

– Save the Arecibo Observatory (@SaveTheAO) November 26, 2020

Organizations are also joining the conversation on social media, such as the Planetary Society. “The Arecibo Observatory has touched the lives of so many people. Its scientific findings have enriched our understanding of the universe and helped protect our planet from asteroids,” the organization said in a tweet.

Arecibo Observatory Space Academy students, led by Academy graduate Wilbert Ruperto-Hernández, have begun a campaign to garner support for the observatory, citing both its scientific work and its location in Puerto Rico. where is the most important scientific structure. This led to a formal White House petition asking the federal government to intervene, specifically requesting the deployment of the Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate the telescope and look for a way to stabilize it. To date, only 70, 90, 906 signatures are still needed.

This only takes two minutes or even a minute if you are fast! Go and sign this petition a #SaveTheAreciboObservatory @SaveTheAO @NAICobservatory https://t.co/ZijdOX56mV pic.twitter.com/VoWAFANg7k

– Wilbert Andrés Ruperto (@ ruperto1023) November 22, 2020

When the petition reaches 100,000 signatures by December 21, 2020, the White House will need a response to the team within two months. The group also intends to contact Congress. Jenniffer Gonzalez, a Puerto Rico resident commissioner, is also taking action, sending a letter to Congress last week to request funds to make repairs. “You won’t go to the observatory to see things on the walls,” said Ruperto-Hernández, describing the moment visitors go out and look at the famous dish, which made cameos in Hollywood films “GoldenEye” and “Contact.” “People will not go to the Arecibo Observatory to see the remains.” And while scientists would certainly have suffered in that scenario, he said, they would not be alone. “I think the biggest loser will be Puerto Rico,” said Ruperto-Hernández. “We will lose that inspiration and the source of our dreams.”