Skip to comments.
The investigation into why a cable mysteriously broke on the Arecibo Observatory has begun
space.com ^
| 14 August 2020
| Hanneke Weitering
Posted on 08/15/2020 9:27:04 AM PDT by BenLurkin
On Monday (Aug. 10), an auxiliary cable supporting a platform that is suspended above the 1,000-foot-wide (300 meters) radio dish broke and crashed into the telescope's reflector panels, creating a gash in the dish measuring about 100 feet (30 m) long.
In a news conference with reporters Friday (Aug. 14), Arecibo director Francisco Cordova said that 250 of the observatory's primary reflector dish panels were damaged, along with several support cables underneath the dish. But observatory officials have not yet fully assessed the extent of the damage or determined the cost of the repairs needed to get the 56-year-old radio telescope once the largest single radio dish on Earth back in action.
Cordova said that the auxiliary cable was designed to last at least another 15 to 20 years, so it's not clear why the cable failed. It was one of several auxiliary cables that were added to the observatory in the 1990s to help support a new addition to the telescope, called the Gregorian dome, which houses an antenna receiver on the platform.
No one was injured when the accident happened at approximately 2:45 a.m. EDT (0645 GMT) on Monday, as the facility was closed at the time.
The Arecibo Observatory has been shut down indefinitely until the telescope can be repaired. While the observatory is best known for its work in the search for life and potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroids, astronomers use it for a variety of space research and observations. Some of the work that has been put on hold until the telescope is fixed include studies of gravitational waves and pulsars, Cordova said.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: arecibo; areciboobservatory; astronomy; cable; observatory; puertorico; radiotelescope; science; seti; xplanets
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-43 next last
To: BenLurkin
They will have some time to reflect on this
21
posted on
08/15/2020 10:50:15 AM PDT
by
Vendome
(I've Gotta Be Me https://youtu.be/wH-pk2vZG2M)
To: BenLurkin
Surely the maintenance money didn’t go into someones pocket.!
22
posted on
08/15/2020 10:53:06 AM PDT
by
fso301
To: catnipman
3, Too many birds roosting on it at once
23
posted on
08/15/2020 11:23:12 AM PDT
by
PIF
(They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
To: Vendome
They will have some time to reflect on this.
If they can take it, though, surely they can dish it out.
24
posted on
08/15/2020 11:50:24 AM PDT
by
golux
To: algore
Yes it was. They know we can see them.
They don’t like that.
25
posted on
08/15/2020 11:52:52 AM PDT
by
jmacusa
(If we're all equal how is diversity our strength?)
To: BenLurkin
The Arecibo Observatory has been shut down indefinitely until the telescope can be repaired. While the observatory is best known for its work in the search for life So then aliens did it to keep their imminent invasion from being discovered until it was too late.
26
posted on
08/15/2020 12:49:12 PM PDT
by
pepsi_junkie
(Often wrong, but never in doubt!)
To: pepsi_junkie
They're sneaking up on us...
27
posted on
08/15/2020 1:04:40 PM PDT
by
BenLurkin
(The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire. Or both.)
To: Kickass Conservative
Has David Vincent gotten there yet? He did, but Mulder got there first.
To: blueunicorn6
To: BenLurkin
I'm guessing the cable was sub par as to the specifications asked far due to a kickback by the contractor to a politician!!!
30
posted on
08/15/2020 2:59:56 PM PDT
by
ontap
To: algore
Is it even possible? Yes, it is.
31
posted on
08/15/2020 3:29:00 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: KevinDavis; annie laurie; Knitting A Conundrum; Viking2002; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Mmogamer; ...
32
posted on
08/15/2020 3:29:10 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
33
posted on
08/15/2020 3:30:51 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: SunkenCiv
Whatever they want — the answer is still no.
34
posted on
08/15/2020 3:42:58 PM PDT
by
BenLurkin
(The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire. Or both.)
To: BenLurkin
They're just trying to figure out How To Serve Man.
35
posted on
08/15/2020 3:44:43 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: BenLurkin
I think it was simply racism and white supremacy that caused the problem.
To: SunkenCiv
37
posted on
08/15/2020 3:48:27 PM PDT
by
BenLurkin
(The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire. Or both.)
To: BenLurkin
More engineers, fewer scientists?
38
posted on
08/15/2020 3:49:47 PM PDT
by
wolfman
To: 17th Miss Regt
I think it was simply racism and white supremacy that caused the problem.I am sure you are correct sir. 😁🤪🤗😊🤣🤑
39
posted on
08/15/2020 4:19:04 PM PDT
by
Mark17
(USAF Retired. Father of a US Air Force commissioned officer, and trained Air Force combat pilot.)
To: SunkenCiv
40
posted on
08/15/2020 4:53:13 PM PDT
by
GreenLanternCorps
(Hi! I'm the Dread Pirate Roberts! (TM) Atsk about franchise opportunities in your area.)
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-43 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson