{"id":12079,"date":"2020-12-01T18:21:25","date_gmt":"2020-12-01T10:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/arecibo-observatory-collapses-as-scientists-lament-loss-of-deep-space-radar\/"},"modified":"2020-12-01T18:21:25","modified_gmt":"2020-12-01T10:21:25","slug":"arecibo-observatory-collapses-as-scientists-lament-loss-of-deep-space-radar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/arecibo-observatory-collapses-as-scientists-lament-loss-of-deep-space-radar\/","title":{"rendered":"Arecibo Observatory collapses as scientists lament loss of deep space radar"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_48931\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48931\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-48931\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/EoKC24RXUAE5bHd.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"539\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/EoKC24RXUAE5bHd.jpeg 900w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/EoKC24RXUAE5bHd-300x180.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/EoKC24RXUAE5bHd-768x460.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/EoKC24RXUAE5bHd-678x406.jpeg 678w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-48931\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The instrument platform of the Arecibo Observatory \u2014 seen here in an earlier photo \u2014 collapsed onto the telescope\u2019s dish Dec. 1. Credit: National Science Foundation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The 900-ton suspended platform of Puerto Rico\u2019s famed Arecibo Observatory collapsed Tuesday after cable failures, crashing into the radio telescope\u2019s iconic dish and shattering a research instrument used for nearly 60 years to study pulsars, galaxies, planets, and asteroids that might threaten Earth.<\/p>\n<p>The National Science Foundation, which owns the facility, confirmed the instrument deck fell around 7:55 a.m. local time Tuesday in Puerto Rico, \u201cresulting in damage to the dish and surrounding facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No injuries were reported in the accident.<\/p>\n<p>The NSF announced last month that it would decommission and demolish the observatory after a series of cable breaks rendered the facility unsafe. The first suspension cable snapped Aug. 10, causing a gash in the observatory\u2019s 1,000-foot (305-meter) reflecting dish.<\/p>\n<p>While officials assessed repair options, another cable broke Nov. 6. Inspections and analyses showed other cables were in danger of failing, and the NSF announced Nov. 19 that engineers recommended a controlled demolition of the structure, which officials said then was in danger of a collapse on its own in the near future.<\/p>\n<p>The collapse happened Tuesday before crews could start the demolition. The failure shattered sensitive radio receivers and a planetary radar instrument as the platform fell onto the dish some 450 feet (137 meters) below.<\/p>\n<p>Completed in 1963, the observatory was the second-largest radio telescope in the world and featured in films like \u201cContact\u201d and \u201cGoldenEye.\u201d The giant dish reflected faint radio signals from deep space onto sensors suspended on the instrument platform.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 524px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1333806230125604867&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2020%2F12%2F01%2Farecibo-observatory-collapses-as-scientists-lament-loss-of-deep-space-radar%2F&amp;sessionId=5d07104098d76e8a87e6e07c15d93d66e757635f&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1333806230125604867\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are saddened by this situation but thankful that no one was hurt,\u201d said Sethuraman Panchanathan, NSF\u2019s director, in a statement. \u201cWhen engineers advised NSF that the structure was unstable and presented a danger to work teams and Arecibo staff, we took their warnings seriously and continued to emphasize the importance of safety for everyone involved.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur focus is now on assessing the damage, finding ways to restore operations at other parts of the observatory, and working to continue supporting the scientific community, and the people of Puerto Rico,\u201d&nbsp;Panchanathan said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInitial findings indicate that the top section of all three of the 305-meter telescope\u2019s support towers broke off. As the 900-ton instrument platform fell, the telescope\u2019s support cables also dropped,\u201d the NSF said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Officials said the observatory\u2019s&nbsp;learning center also \u201csustained significant damage\u201d from the falling cables.<\/p>\n<p>Saddened by the collapse, astronomers shared memories of their work at Arecibo on social media. Some scientists called on the observatory to be rebuilt.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 624px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1334549357358682112&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2020%2F12%2F01%2Farecibo-observatory-collapses-as-scientists-lament-loss-of-deep-space-radar%2F&amp;sessionId=5d07104098d76e8a87e6e07c15d93d66e757635f&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1334549357358682112\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p> <script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany scientists have worked on this telescope over the last 50-plus years,\u201d said Thomas Zurbuchen, head of NASA\u2019s science directorate. \u201cThose observations have provided tremendous insights in some of the most energetic parts of our universe, pulsars. They have provided important planetary science looking at the moon and Mars \u2026 And also they have contributed tremendously to planetary defense objectives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With a planetary radar, Arecibo Observatory allowed scientists to characterize the shape, make-up, and orbits of asteroids on trajectories that intersect Earth\u2019s orbit.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_48933\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48933\" style=\"width: 985px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-48933\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/pia22185.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"985\" height=\"657\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/pia22185.jpg 985w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/pia22185-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/pia22185-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/pia22185-678x452.jpg 678w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 985px) 100vw, 985px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-48933\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">These radar images of near-Earth asteroid 3200 Phaethon were generated by astronomers at the National Science Foundation\u2019s Arecibo Observatory on Dec. 17, 2017. Credit: Arecibo Observatory\/NASA\/NSF<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cOur hearts are heavy about this,\u201d Zurbuchen said Tuesday in a meeting of the NASA Advisory Council\u2019s Science Committee.<\/p>\n<p>Lindley Johnson, NASA\u2019s planetary defense officer, said the loss of the Arecibo Observatory will not affect scientists\u2019 ability to detect asteroids that might be on a collision course with Earth.<\/p>\n<p>NASA has a radar imager at its Goldstone tracking station in California that can see a wider swath of the sky with finer resolution than Arecibo.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut Arecibo had the range, so some of the planetary science at more distant objects will probably suffer the greatest impact,\u201d J0hnson said Monday, before the observatory\u2019s collapse. \u201cWe will no longer have the range that Arecibo offered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really time to be looking at the next generation of planetary radar capabilities,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cLarge dish radio telescopes is probably not the way to go with modern capabilities and processing. An array dish approach is probably the way.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_48932\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48932\" style=\"width: 480px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-48932\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Arecibo-damage.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Arecibo-damage.jpg 480w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Arecibo-damage-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-48932\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Damage to the Arecibo Observatory after the Dec. 1 collapse of its instrument platform. Credit: National Science Foundation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>With its high-power transmitter, Arecibo\u2019s radar could study objects in the asteroid belt and deeper into the solar system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt all comes down to power, really,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cArecibo had the higher-power transmitter than Goldstone does, so the opportunities may not be as great with just Goldstone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Goldstone\u2019s antenna is also used to communicate with deep space probes, so any scientific radar observations must be scheduled around spacecraft requirements, Johnson said.<\/p>\n<p>The Arecibo Observatory is managed by the University of Central Florida. The NSF said it will continue to authorize UCF to pay Arecibo staff and continue research work at Arecibo, including the repair of a smaller telescope for radio astronomy research and other infrastructure repairs to address damage from Hurricane Maria in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe knew this was a possibility, but it is still heartbreaking to see,\u201d said Elizabeth Klonoff, UCF\u2019s vice president for research. \u201cSafety of personnel is our number one priority. We already have engineers on site to help assess the damage and determine the stability and safety of the remaining structure. We will continue to work with the NSF and other stakeholders to find ways to support the science mission at Arecibo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b><i>Email the author.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The instrument platform of the Arecibo Observatory \u2014 seen here in an earlier photo \u2014 collapsed onto the telescope\u2019s dish Dec. 1. Credit: National Science Foundation The 900-ton suspended platform of Puerto Rico\u2019s famed Arecibo Observatory collapsed Tuesday after cable failures, crashing into the radio telescope\u2019s iconic dish and shattering a research instrument used for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1990,1519,1661,1690,190,1991,1992,1561],"class_list":["post-12079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-arecibo-observatory","tag-asteroids","tag-astronomy","tag-astrophysics","tag-nasa","tag-national-science-foundation","tag-near-earth-objects","tag-planetary-science"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12079"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12079\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}