The instrument platform of the 305m telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico fell overnight. This close-up view of the smashed instrument platform shows the holes it left in the telescope’s dish, which is nestled in a crater in the mountains of Puerto Rico.Credit: Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty. Two cables had broken since August, damaging the structure and forcing officials to close the observatory. The huge, already damaged Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico — famed for its contributions to space science and as a shooting location for Hollywood films like GoldenEye and Contact — completely collapsed on Tuesday local time. Last month, the US National Science Foundation (NSF), which owns the observatory, had announced it would shut down the telescope permanently, citing safety concerns over its instability, and damage too extensive to repair. The National Science Foundation, which owns Arecibo, was instructed by Congress to investigate what caused the telescope's collapse and to report back in 60 days. "It sounded like a rumble. Instrument platform crashed into the telescope’s dish, irrevocably ending the facility’s role in astronomy. NSF is working with stakeholders to assess the situation. Over the years, the main dish appeared as a location in movies, including GoldenEye, Pierce Brosnan's first outing as James Bond in 1995, and the 1997 science fiction drama Contact, starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey. Source: CNN. The telescope collapsed weeks after officials announced that it would be dismantled A huge radio telescope in Puerto Rico has collapsed after … Engineers had warned that the 900-tonne platform suspended above the telescope’s 305-metre-wide dish could fall at any moment, given that one of the main cables supporting it had snapped in early November. An ongoing investigation of the December collapse of the iconic radio telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico offers early evidence a manufacturing issue may have contributed to … The platform was suspended by cables connected to three towers. The iconic radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico has collapsed, leaving astronomers and the Puerto Rican scientific community to mourn its demise. Update 03 December 2020: This story was updated to include video footage of the telescope's collapse, taken by an observatory drone. In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles Before its collapse, the 900-tonne instrument platform hung 130 metres above the Arecibo telescope’s dish, suspended by cables strung from three towers.Credit: Dr Seth Shostak/Science Photo Library. No injuries were reported. https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/arecibo-collapse-video-1.5826888 Jonathan Friedman, who worked for 26 years as a senior research associate at the observatory and still lives near it, told the Associated Press news agency of the moment the telescope collapsed on Tuesday. At 8 a.m. on 1 December, the Arecibo telescope’s instrument platform crashed into the dish below, tearing more gashes into an already damaged structure. Internet Explorer). It came just weeks after officials announced that the telescope would be dismantled amid safety fears, following damage to its support system. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The National Science Foundation said Friday that it could cost up to $50 million just to clean up the debris at a renowned radio telescope that collapsed last year in Puerto Rico, adding that investigations into what caused its cables to fail are still ongoing. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The already damaged radio telescope … Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Cedars-Sinai). THE FAMOUS ARECIBO Observatory telescope in Puerto Rico, which once starred in a James Bond film, has collapsed. The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico has collapsed, after weeks of concern from scientists over the fate of what was once the world's largest single-dish radio telescope… Astronomers knew the clock was ticking for the iconic Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico. "The loss of the Arecibo telescope is a big loss for the world, but it is more of a loss for Puerto Rico. Observatory director Francisco Córdova told reporters that officials would investigate ways of establishing similar or even better scientific capabilities, perhaps at or near the site. Puerto Rico's Areciob Observatory collapsed Tuesday morning after a cable supporting a massive 900-ton platform gave out - officially ending the telescope's 57 years of service. "Preliminary assessments indicate the observatory's learning centre sustained significant damage from falling cables," it added. Read about our approach to external linking. Nature requested funds "to enable the NSF to continue exploring options to safely stabilise the structure". I knew exactly what it was," he said. (UCF) The telescope was in operation for 57 years until August, and scientists had lobbied the NSF to reverse its decision to close the site. The NSF said it was "saddened" by the collapse and would be "looking for ways to assist the scientific community and maintain our strong relationship with the people of Puerto Rico". The Arecibo Observatory's iconic radio telescope collapsed Tuesday morning. I don't have words to express it. The telescope helped to make the first definitive detection of exoplanets, planetary bodies orbiting other stars, in 1992. The observatory's main instrument was the Arecibo Telescope, a 305 m spherical reflector dish built into a natural sinkhole, with a cable-mount steerable receiver and several radar transmitters for emitting signals mounted 150 m above the dish. Ralph Gaume, the head of NSF's astronomy division, said at a 3 December press briefing that any replacement would be a multi-year process involving congressional funding and assessment of the scientific community's needs. “Our hearts are heavy about this,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s associate administrator for science, at a 1 December NASA advisory meeting. Huge Puerto Rico radio telescope, already damaged, collapses By DÁNICA COTO December 1, 2020 ARECIBO, Puerto Rico (AP) — A huge, already damaged radio telescope in Puerto Rico that has played a key role in astronomical discoveries for more than half a … The radio-telescope had already suffered major damages after a cable that helped support the 900-ton platform hanging at 450 feet above the dish broke in August. Puerto Rico’s massive Arecibo telescope, famous for its stellar contributions to astronomy, collapsed on Tuesday, leaving many among the scientific community in shock and anguish. The Arecibo Observatory telescope was one of the largest in the world. Following the announcement, three members of Congress, including Puerto Rico's representative Jenniffer González, requested funds "to enable the NSF to continue exploring options to safely stabilise the structure". It has also been used to listen for signals from intelligent life elsewhere in the cosmos and to track near-Earth asteroids. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The National Science Foundation said Friday that it could cost up to $50 million just to clean up the debris at a renowned radio telescope that … ISSN 1476-4687 (online). Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. No one was injured. © 2021 BBC. Famous Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico Collapses | The Scientist Magazine® Telescope collapses at Arecibo Observatory Huge radio telescope in Puerto Rico collapses - Los Angeles Times Famous Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico Collapses | The Scientist Magazine® Video, Asian women made to 'feel invisible' in America, Russia's Eurovision star 'abused because of birthplace' Video, Russia's Eurovision star 'abused because of birthplace', French snowboard champion dies in Swiss avalanche, Too many computer chips made in Asia - Intel chief, New 'double mutant' Covid variant found in India, Pope cuts cardinals' pay as pandemic bites, Germany reverses plans for strict Easter lockdown. The Arecibo Observatory, also known as the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center and formerly known as the Arecibo Ionosphere Observatory, is an observatory in Barrio Esperanza, Arecibo, Puerto Rico owned by the US National Science Foundation. An educational centre, however, seems to have been substantially damaged by the falling platform and cables. Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily. The telescope was built in the early 1960s, with the intention of studying the ionised upper part of Earth's atmosphere, the ionosphere. This would, however, depend on the US Congress allocating money to replace the Arecibo dish. Damage sustained at the Arecibo Observatory 305-meter telescope. The platform plummets downward and crashes into the side of the dish. Puerto Rico residents and astronomers had called on the foundation to repair the telescope rather than demolish it. The 57-year-old radio telescope was one of the largest in the world but had closed down this month after sustaining damage. and JavaScript. At 8 a.m. on 1 December, the Arecibo telescope’s instrument platform crashed into the dish below, tearing more gashes into an already damaged structure.Credit: Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty. Drone footage of the collapse, released by the NSF two days later, shows cables snapping at the top of one of the three towers from which the instrument platform was suspended. The US National Science Foundation (NSF) said the telescope's 900-ton instrument platform fell onto a reflector dish some 450ft (137m) below. Some nearby buildings, including the control room and the visitor centre, survived the collapse. The final collapse happened just before 8 a.m. local time on 1 December. Questions remain about whether the cables were maintained properly over the years. A number of cosmic phenomena such as pulsars - magnetised, rotating stars - show emission at radio wavelengths. The Arecibo Observatory’s 1,000-foot-diameter telescope collapsed at about 7:55 a.m. Tuesday in Puerto Rico. A huge radio telescope in Puerto Rico has collapsed after decades of astronomical discoveries. This video, taken by an observatory drone and released by the NSF on 3 December, shows the telescope's instrument platform fall and crash into the side of the dish. The NSF said the telescope collapsed at about 07:55 local time (11:55 GMT) on Tuesday, "resulting in damage to the dish and surrounding facilities". As the 900-ton instrument platform fell, the telescope's support cables also dropped," it said in a statement. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. "I was screaming. But it was soon being used as an all-purpose radio observatory. Stories worth watching (15 Videos) "While the telescope was a key part of the facility, the observatory has other scientific and educational infrastructure that NSF will work with stakeholders to bring back online," the agency said. (CNN) The instrument platform of the 305-meter telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico collapsed overnight, according to the National Science Foundation. the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in The telescope consisted of a 1,000ft-wide radio dish with an instrument platform hanging 450ft above. The NSF says it will continue paying staff at the observatory and carry on with science at other, smaller facilities on site that do not involve the 305-metre dish. The Arecibo Observatory’s suspended equipment platform collapsed just before 8 a.m. local time on December 1, falling more than 450 feet and crashing through the telescope’s … pic.twitter.com/Xjbb9hPUgD. A … The NSF said there had been no reports of injuries following the collapse. Prior to the failure, engineers had been exploring options to relieve some of the tension in the cables, including by relaxing other support cables to tilt the towers around the dish. 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