Arecibo Observatory to be Demolished Nation Science Foundation engineers have determined the damaged Arrecibo Observatory is in imminent danger of unpredictable collapse with threat to life and surrounding structures. Planning underway to safely disassemble or demolish the antenna system. The Verge story: https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/19...-decommission-structural-collapse-cable-break Comment: A major symbol of America's decline and abandonment of research, science and education. China now has the worlds largest radio observatory.
KA0HCP sad day isnt it--simply unbelieveable... From ABC News today---- SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The National Science Foundation announced Thursday that it will close the huge telescope at the renowned Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico in a blow to scientists worldwide who depend on it to search for planets, asteroids and extraterrestrial life. This is simply unconscionable to me. For a number of years the NSF has been looking for partners or additional funding to maintain the facility. It is one of a kind in the world. From radar mapping Oumuamua, one of the very rare objects to enter the solar system from out of the plane of the ecliptic- to a number of diverse studies in many areas, Arecibo has been one of the hallmarks of American scientific endeavor for many years. The only other facility similar is in China. https://www.universetoday.com/144669/chinas-500-meter-fast-radio-telescope-is-now-operational/ for a number of months last year and at the first of this year there were articles in various scientific publications about Chinese problems with staffing FAST. Those apparently have been solved. If FAST is the only instrument of its kind in the world and given the acrimonious relationship between China and the West, one wonders how open sharing of FAST discoveries would be. I corresponded with the author of an article from 9 November regarding Arecibo https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/11/second-cable-breaks-puerto-rico-s-arecibo-telescope who stated that one of the problems with the telescope is its versatility. Its “good at too many things, from atmospheric science to planetary science and astrophysics” Apparently because of the instrument’s many capabilities there isnt any one government agency fighting to keep it open. https://www.space.com/arecibo-observatory-evaluating-serious-damage.html certainly seems like the NSF hasnt been doing periodic maintenance. https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/11/19/arecibo-observatory-faces-demolition-after-cable-failures/ Given Elon Musk’s success with Falcon and his company’s ability to put men and cargo into low earth orbit, perhaps someone should approach him hat in hand asking for help. After all he filled a void that NASA and the ULA have been unable to. Sad day. Either that or crowd fund whats necessary but it possibly is too late.....
It is so sad to watch this. In my part of the country the only thing the public schools are interested in building is stuff related to football (and sometimes basketball). Never any discussion of anything related STEM studies. Parents can't drink beer at a spelling bee.
Very sad. NSF has been strapped for quite a while, and in recent years projects that do not generate short term benefits have not always been their first priority. Co-sponsorship by a public university is a great idea in the abstract, but not necessarily bountiful in today’s economy. Most of those institutions do not have huge endowments to tide them over in bad times. These are indeed bad times for them, given reduced state funding and drops in enrollment, especially this year. It’s all about money, of course.
Definitely our Texas “thing”. It certainly be nice if our Ed facilities would support tech 1/2 as much as they do sports.
This thing was built in 1963, it s Model T of deep space instruments. Maybe they'll sell the scraps to raise $ for a replacement. But with 22 Trillion in debt sitting on the books, I doubt they will get a replacement.
"Maybe they'll sell the scraps to raise $ for a replacement. But with 22 Trillion in debt sitting on the books, I doubt they will get a replacement." Current US debt is north of 27 Trillion. https://www.usdebtclock.org/ This is what they admit to. Real debt is well north of 100 trillion including all the unfunded liabilities. Pretty sad....
Sad. I remember watching Goldeneye growing up, and marveling at it. I hope they build a new station somewhere.
Meanwhile, the FAST facility in China is reportedly up and running, and currently tracking a new swarm of Bats.
The big dish has served its purpose well for decades. It's time to formulate its destruction perhaps into a new block buster movie (Alien Hamateurs from Mars) that turn the remains into beer cans. I'll drink to that !
Yes, I was just reading that NSF had been looking for a a sponsor for Arecibo since 2006 and finally got UCF to agree in 2018 and fix damage from hurricane Maria. Now this. I wonder if a telescope will ever be reestablished at that location.
The antenna is probably out of date. A newer antenna and related equipment might be smaller, cheaper and more effective.
I was there doing some RF survey work about 15 years ago and I had to take a machete to cut the weeds under it/ it wasn't in that good of shape then. So I guess the People's Republic of Chinese wins again. They actually do have the largest radio telescope it was recently installed. China Sky Eye, the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, is now fully operational. China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope, known as FAST, is the world's most sensitive listening device. I wonder what the hell they're really listening to??? The U.S. can't even keep a National scientific treasure operational, that's a sad situation
