A new estimate suggests it will cost somewhere between $ 30 million and $ 50 million to clear the ashes created by the collapse of the iconic Arecibo Observatory dish. late last year, according to a report from the NSF outlining the aftermath of the disaster and the possible next steps.
The study into the cause of the collapse at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico is still ongoing, but the National Science Foundation, through the Condensed Remedies Act, 2021, has been asked to report to Congress outlining “the causes and extent of the plan for the safe and environmental removal of debris, the preservation of its contents [Arecibo Observatory] facilities and surrounding areas, and the process for determining whether comparable technology should be established on site, together with any associated cost estimates. ”
The NSF only had 60 days to produce the report when the Act came into force, which may explain why it is so narrow on detail. The report just seven pages long and replenished with information we already knew. That said, the NSF provided new details, such as a cleaning cost estimate, an overview of damage to the facility, and cleaning updates, among other issues.
To rebalance, a support cable pulled from a loose support tower from its socket on August 10, 2020, causing severe damage to the reflective panels below. A main cable on the same tower broke down several months later, causing even more damage to the tower basin, used for radar and radio astronomy since 1963. The second cable failure in particular troublesome, as “this cable broke under conditions that should be well within its support capabilities, indicating that it could, together with the remaining main cables, be weaker than expected,” according to the new report. Engineering companies brought in to assess the structure said a subsequent cable failure would be catastrophic, resulting in the conclusion to decommission the 1,000-foot (305-)meters) mias. How plans were made to storied radio telescope, however, the 900-ton platform surrender, falling apart on 1 December 2020.
Studies conducted after the fall showed that the Gregorian platform and globe were a “total loss for scientific reasons,” according to the report. The highest 59 feet (18 meters) of support towers 12 and 4 shattered when they fell, while the highest 121 feet (37 meters) of 8 platform support towers collapsed. As the report states, “further assessments of the structural integrity of the towers are ongoing. ”
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The roof of the Learning Center did a lot of damage, but the NSF he said it is reasonable. A trailer used by Outdoor Education and Community workers was “completely demolished,” while the Visitor Center came away unharmed, except for some damage caused by falling concrete pieces, he said. the new report.
Private contractor and are experts from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center performing a forensics study right now to find out what caused the initial failure of the cable socket. An individual contractor is carrying out the forensic investigation at Arecibo, with final reports from the two contractors expected in December 2021. In addition to these efforts, the NSF is calling for a “speedy independent investigation” for a reason. cable failure to be completed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
A company specializing in disaster clean-up and environmental treatment was brought in to help. Soils contaminated with irrigation oils, which were released at the time of the fall, are sampled and removed. The cleaning team is also testing groundwater and surface water near the facility. A “Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan” is in the process of “preventing sediment and pollutants from moving away from the site,” as are wildlife and vegetation studies to help protect vulnerable species, which according to the report.
The report lists the starting cost estimates for the cleanup as between $ 30 million and $ 50 million from now until the end of 2022.
The NSF is now working with the Puerto Rico State Office of Historic Preservation and the Federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation on “the protection and preservation of historically important elements of the structures and the site. “Valuables or valuables found during the cleaning process could be displayed at the observatory or sent to museums.
The future of the facility remains unclear. The NSF says it is still too early to know how the facility could be repaired or rebuilt to enable different types of scientific endeavors, saying that refurbishment requires “different levels of effort and funding. ”The authors stated that“ many technologies and more than a dozen special capabilities ”remain on site, including a smaller 40-foot (12-meter) radio telescope and a LIDAR facility used to study make the shape and movement of the ionosphere. With regard to the repair or reconstruction of the large basin, the NSF stated that the process of establishing an important new scientific facility depends on priorities established by the scientific community and a rigorous review by the public. ages on intellectual merit and wider effects than intended activity. ”
A community workshop planned for next April should provide more information about the Arecibo Observatory and its future.
That a radio dish could be rebuilt at the facility is not out of the question. A. praise to build the $ 450 million “Arecibo Next Generation Telescope” launched by the observatory last month. It’s been Arecibo’s dark days, but maybe there’s reason for hope.