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The famous Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico it suffered another blow in a difficult year that saw two broken cables damage the fragile dish.
The heart of the structure is a huge and delicate radio telescope built in the geology of the island and surrounded by the jungle. The Arecibo Observatory has operated for more than fifty years, including perhaps the most famous broadcast in 1974 of the so-called Arecibo Message intended to update any intelligent life on our technical capabilities. But lately the observatory has been mistreated: first it suffered “relatively minor“Damage during 2017’s massive Hurricane Maria; it has already endured a lot this year earthquakes in January and then he lost one of his own thick cables, which broke and damaged the plate in August. Now, another cable went off just three months later.
“This is certainly not what we wanted to see, but the important thing is that no one is hurt”, Francisco Cordova, the director of the observatory, he said in a statement issued by the University of Central Florida, which manages the facility.
Related: The Arecibo Observatory: the gigantic radio telescope of Puerto Rico in photos
“We were thoughtful in our assessment and prioritized safety in planning the repairs that were supposed to start on Tuesday,” Cordova said, referring to the work planned to repair the cable that broke in August. “Now this. There is a lot of uncertainty until we are able to stabilize the facility. He has our full attention. We are evaluating the situation with our experts and hope to have more things to share soon.”
According to the statement, the newly broken cable was one of the main support cables connecting to the same cable tower that damaged the antenna in August. That cable slipped out of its socket and potentially put extra weight on the cable which broke completely on Nov. 6 and damaged both the other cables and the main dish, the university said.
The accident did not cause any injuries but prompted the observatory to restrict access to the area. Now, observatory staff hope to be able to install reinforcements on the tower to protect other cables as they consider what additional repairs will be needed.
“This is not good, but we remain committed to getting the facility back online,” Cordova said. “It is simply too important a tool for the advancement of science.”
Email Meghan Bartels at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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