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Luxembourg, 25 November 2020. – It’s sad, but true: the 300-meter radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico will go into “controlled decommissioning,” said the US National Science Foundation (NSF).
The nearly 60-year-old telescope suffered two cable failures in August and last year that damaged the giant dish and made it too unstable for repair.
“Multiple evaluations by independent engineering firms have found that the telescope structure is at risk of catastrophic failure and that its cables may no longer be able to carry the loads they were designed for,” the NSF said, concluding that damage to the telescope can be addressed without endangering the life and safety of the crew and personnel. “
Satellite images show the telescope’s enormous damage, with holes in the metal structure and vegetation growing on it.
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