Initial Investigations Suggest Possible Reason Behind Collapse of Arecibo Observatory Telescope

Initial investigations on the collapse of the iconic Arecibo Observatory radio telescope in December suggests that a manufacturing issue may have caused the collapse.

Legacy of the Arecibo Observatory

The Arecibo Observatory is the brainchild of Professor William E. Gordon from Cornell University. He conceptualized the iconic observatory because he was looking into studying the Ionosphere.

In 1963, with the help of the U.S Air Force, the Arecibo Observatory was built. It was managed by Cornell University since its construction, first for the U.S Air Force, then in 1970 for the National Science Foundation.

Since then, Arecibo has become a scientific powerhouse and a cultural icon. The 900-ton telescope has made cameos in movies such as GoldenEye, Contract, and many more.

It has contributed to several notable scientific discoveries during its days, including the pulsars' observations that earned a Nobel prize and the confirmation of exoplanets.

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Demise of the Arecibo Observatory Telescope

The telescope's science platform weighing 900-tons was suspended by three dozen supporting cables above a vast radio dish. But in the early morning of August 2020, one of the cables slipped out of its socket. Before repairs were undergone, a second cable snapped in November.

The U.S National Science Foundation that owns the site determined that it was too unstable to safely repair; hence a call for decommissioning the instrument was made. However, on Dec 1, 2020, the telescope collapsed, causing monumental collapse and a monstrous roar shaking the tree-covered karst landscape.

Investigations of the cables have been conducted since August. Director Francisco Cordova says, "The site cleanup and the debris removal really is ongoing."

According to Cordova, the telescope's azimuth arm, that helped steer the instrument, and the hanging dome suspended from the telescope holding the antennas have been removed from the site. He adds that environmental engineers have been able to collect 2 types of potentially hazardous materials that were once used on the platform.

A second forensic investigation focusing on the main cables that were part of the early constructions in the 1960s was found to be the cables that snapped in November. Engineers are currently separating debris that could be relevant to both forensic examinations.

Cordova notes that both the clean-up and investigations are ongoing. In addition, the National Science Foundation is working separately to better understand the collapse and evaluating the site's future, writing a report requested by Congress by late February.

"Certainly, there's typically not a single item that contributed but a multitude of items that contributed to the particular failure," says Cordova. Additionally, the facility's age and the natural calamities it has survived are seen as contributors to the Arecibo Observatory Telescope's demise.

After enduring, 10,000 earthquakes engineers believe that the constant shaking was a contributing factor that led to the telescope's collapse.

Engineers are currently analyzing a multitude of data from the telescope's wreckage, and the National Science Foundation is hopeful that the iconic Arecibo Observatory Telescope's demise will not be in vain.

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