After 60 years of service, the giant Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico will be decommissioned after a series of cable failures rendered it inoperable and unsafe to repair. The news was announced today, and from what I can see on my social media feeds, it has been met with a chorus of sadness.
Also, after the incident engineers determined the weight it bore was only at 60% of its minimum breaking strength, and it was a calm day (no wind). Apparently the problems in the cable were deeper than suspected. This also raises concerns that the remaining 11 cables may be worn more than previously thought. No one knows if the other cables are damaged or not, or if they can carry the designed load for much longer.
After consideration and an investigation by an engineering team, the NSF concluded that there is no way to fix these problems while still maintaining the safety of any crew who would do the work. Stabilizing or replacing the cable may also accelerate the collapse. The NSF therefore decided to decommission the telescope.
It's not clear what might have damaged the cables. They were very old, and moisture seeping in over the years may have contributed to the problem. Also, Puerto Rico has been battered by hurricanes which strain the structure, and a series of earthquakes near the observatory struck late in 2019 as well. Any or all of these may have been part of the issue.
While it's possible that a new telescope could be built on the same site, there's currently no funding in place to do that. Given the anti-science mood that seems to be prevalent these days, I'm not holding my breath.
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