National Science Fund (NSF) in declaration announced that it will decommission the giant Arecibo radio telescope with a diameter of 300 meters. According to NSF, the device is too damaged to be safely repaired. “The structure of the radio telescope is in danger of catastrophic failure. (…) Attempts to repair can potentially expose workers to life-threatening hazards, ”said the NSF.
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“This decision has nothing to do with the scientific merits of the Arecibo Observatory,” said Ralph Gaume, the observatory’s director. “It’s all about safety,” he added.
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Engineers trying to stabilize the platform are now trying to prevent irreversible damage to the telescope. “I think it’s fifty to fifty,” former facility chief Michael Nolan estimated the chances of a successful repair. “They are doing their best, but I wonder if that will be enough. If there is a risk of falling, then no one must be there at the moment of collapse, “he added.
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The fixed radio telescope was built between 1959 and 1963 in a large terrain depression.
The radio telescope has been out of operation since August, when one of the auxiliary anchor ropes, which holds the platform at a height of 150 meters above the plate, has been towed. The rope then fell on the surface of the giant disk and created a crack over 30 meters long.
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According to the server National Geographic (NG), a radio telescope that appeared, for example, in the Golden Eye bond or in the sci-fi film Kontakt, can disable the fall of a platform that has lost two anchor ropes. At the beginning of November, one of the main ropes broke, linking the platform to one of the three support columns. According to NG, at least two ropes are needed to keep the platform in the air – provided they are in good condition. That is not clear at this time.
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“It is a serious situation. When the cables leave like this, it can cause a chain reaction, when more ropes fall and the whole thing collapses, “National Geographic quoted another former radio telescope chief, Frank Drake, as saying.
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An aerial image reveals a crack in the giant disk of the observatory.
Arecibo is used, for example, to study changes in the atmosphere and especially to explore space and to seriously seek information about the possible existence of extraterrestrial civilizations.
According to the NSF, a meaningful starting point thus seems to be the controlled disassembly of the antenna, which will make it possible to save other equipment that is used in the area for research purposes. NSF hopes to draw up a plan for dismantling the antenna in time to prevent it from collapsing spontaneously. However, it is not yet clear when the process will begin.
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Arecibo plays a key role in observing planets outside our solar system and in searching for extraterrestrial civilizations, writes NG. It is a major part of the SETI @ home project, which deals with possible space messages using personal computers in homes or companies around the world.
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With the help of this radio telescope, in 1974, American astronomers Russel Hulse and Joseph Taylor discovered a new type of pulsar, for which they received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1993. In the 1970s, it was used to transmit the message of the Earth and humanity into space. The giant telescope also served as a backdrop in one of the final scenes of the Golden Eye film from the series about agent James Bond. In the film, the main negative hero used a telescope to control a deadly weapon in orbit.
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Satellite image of a telescope in the jungle of the Caribbean Puerto Rico. The plate has a diameter of over 300 meters and a depth of 50 meters. The collection area has 73,000 square meters.
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