Smashed To Pieces: Puerto Rico's Arecibo Telescope Collapses
Muhammad Irfan Published December 01, 2020 | 10:00 PM
The Arecibo Observatory telescope in Puerto Rico, which once starred in a James Bond film, collapsed Tuesday when its 900-ton receiver platform fell 450 feet (140 meters) and smashed onto the radio dish below
Arecibo, Puerto Rico, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Dec, 2020 ) :The Arecibo Observatory telescope in Puerto Rico, which once starred in a James bond film, collapsed Tuesday when its 900-ton receiver platform fell 450 feet (140 meters) and smashed onto the radio dish below.
Engineers had recently warned of the huge structure's decrepit condition, and the US National Science Foundation (NSF) announced only last month that it would be dismantled.
Two cables that held the platform in place over the radio dish -- which measures 1,000 feet (300 meters) in diameter -- had snapped this year, and the structure finally gave way on Tuesday morning.
Photographs showed clouds of dust rising into the air.
"We can confirm the platform fell and that we have reports of no injuries. We will release additional details as they are confirmed," Rob Margetta, spokesman for the NSF, told AFP.
The telescope was one of the largest in the world and has been a tool for many astronomical discoveries since the 1960s, as well as being famous for its dramatic scale and setting.
An action scene from the Bond film "GoldenEye" took place high above the dish, and in the film "Contact" an astronomer played by Jodie Foster used the observatory in her quest for alien signals.
- 'Big loss for the world' - Abel Mendez, director of the Planetary Habitability Laboratory at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo, said the platform fell before 8:00am (1200 GMT).
He described it as "a total disaster.
" "Many students are trained in astronomy in the observatory, they are inspired like me to do a career in science and astronomy," he said.
"The loss of the Arecibo telescope is a big loss for the world, but it is more of a loss for Puerto Rico. It is an icon for our island." The telescope was in operation until August this year, and scientists had lobbied the NSF to reverse its decision to close the site.
In August, an auxiliary cable failed after slipping from its socket in one of the towers and left a 100-foot gash in the dish below.
Engineers were working to determine how to assess and repair the damage when a main cable connected to the same tower broke on November 6.
Before Tuesday, a controlled demolition had been planned to avoid an unexpected collapse.
Among the telescope's successes was in 1992 discovering the first exoplanet -- a planet outside the Solar System -- and in 1981 it helped produce the first radar maps of the surface of Venus.
The observatory's website said the telescope was "a world-leading radio astronomy, solar system radar and atmospheric physics facility, contributing highly relevant data to support discovery, innovation and the advancement of science.""Over its lifetime, Arecibo Observatory has helped transform our understanding of the ionosphere," Michael Wiltberger, head of NSF's geospace section, said last month.
The site had hoped the dismantling plan would preserve other parts of the observatory for future research and education.
Recent Stories
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 5 May 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 05 May 2024
Bugti assures transporters for addressing their problems
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mohammad Ishaq Dar meets foreign min ..
3 drug peddlers arrested, hashish recovered
1496,990 children given polio drops in five days: DC
Six terrorists killed, hideout busted in N Waziristan IBO: ISPR
Pakistan, Qatar agree to further expand trade, investment ties
Sindh cabinet approves Rs177.5m to strengthen, mobilize various wings of police
Faisal Karim Kundi takes oath as new KP Governor
Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Chaudhry seeks more vibrant ..
Tahaffuz Manzil Foster Home providing care & support to homeless children
More Stories From World
-
Pakistan's Shahzad Baig named among TIME's 2024 list of 100 most influential people in healthcare
4 minutes ago -
'Revolution' in air as actor stumps for Hungary opposition
23 minutes ago -
Madonna wows Rio with 'Celebration Tour' finale
33 minutes ago -
Investigators say bodies in Mexico likely those of missing surfers
2 hours ago -
Hope and disillusionment among Chad's first-time voters
2 hours ago -
Panama to vote in presidential election with eight contenders
2 hours ago
-
Edwards hits 43 to spark T-Wolves over Denver in NBA playoffs
2 hours ago -
Five assists and goal for Messi, hat-trick for Suarez as Miami hit six
2 hours ago -
'Radicalised' 16-year-old shot dead by police in Australia
2 hours ago -
Undisputed champion 'Canelo' Alvarez hands Munguia first defeat
2 hours ago -
Floods in southern Brazil kill 57, force 70,000 from homes
2 hours ago -
Lyles, Jacobs help USA, Italy qualify for Paris Olympic relays
2 hours ago