On November 20, 2020, we announced that the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico was to be demolished as the The National Science Foundation (NSF), which oversees Arecibo, considered it unsustainable without endangering human life. The decision would end a device responsible for 57 years of astronomical detection.
LOVE: COLLAPSE OBSERVATORY ARECIBO INCLUDES COLLAPSE OBSERVATORY ARECIBO
New hope
Now, new hopes have emerged for the telescope as Puerto Rico has now promised $ 8 million to the machine, as reported by Engadget. The amount does not seem to be enough to repair the telescope but it is enough to delay its demolition.
Puerto Rican Governor Wanda Vázquez signed an order of action approving the $ 8 million sum for the telescope, saying the rebuilding of Arecibo is important as a matter of “public policy” and re-establishing the Observatory as a “world-class educational center.” This initial commitment could even encourage actors in the U.S. to donate the rest of the amount. needed to fully restore the telescope.
Difficult decision
The difficult decision to decommission and demolish the telescope came after the two main cables broke out. great damage for the theater. Central Florida University (UCF) engineers found that even the other cables were showing signs of contamination, raising concerns that the platform could collapse and fall through the dish.
At the time the NSF said the “Telescope is in danger of catastrophic failure. Any attempts at repair could put workers at potential risk to life.” The next question that arises is can money change these situations?
Can enough funding make it safe to repair the telescope or is it still too dangerous? In a statement to Engadget, the NSF stated that “the observatory is not closing. Search for archived data from the 1,000-feet (305-meter) The telescope will continue and NSF is looking for ways to restore operations with the observatory’s other infrastructure as soon as possible, including the 39-feet (12-meters) telescope and LIDAR facilities. “It looks like there is hope for Arecibo after all.