The 1,000-foot-wide telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico will undergo a controlled disassembly after a second cable broke and its structure is in danger of catastrophic failure.
The decommissioning of the massive radio telescope comes after a review of engineering assessments called its structural integrity into question, a Thursday news release states. It is expected to take several weeks of planning before decommissioning will begin.
The telescope, which was in operation for 57 years, was the largest fully operational radio telescope on the planet and expanded the scientific community’s knowledge of space, the release states.
The Arecibo Observatory, which is managed by UCF under a cooperative agreement, is owned by the National Science Foundation. After an auxiliary cable broke in August and a main cable at the beginning of this month, NSF had engineering assessments completed.
NSF’s primary engineering firm said it should be decommissioned, and a review of the assessment by two additional engineering firms concluded any attempt to make repairs would pose a threat to human life, the release states.
NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said in the release that NSF’s top priority is the safety of workers, and the observatory’s staff and visitors — he said it makes the decision to disassemble the telescope necessary, but unfortunate.
“For nearly six decades, the Arecibo Observatory has served as a beacon for breakthrough science and what a partnership with a community can look like,” Panchanathan said. “While this is a profound change, we will be looking for ways to assist the scientific community and maintain that strong relationship with the people of Puerto Rico.”
The observatory was built in the 1960s, and the facility has since endured several hurricanes and earthquakes, the release states. The observatory’s recent troubles began on Aug. 10, when an auxiliary cable broke and caused a 100-foot gash on the telescope’s reflector dish.
When the cable fell, it damaged numerous panels inside the dome and possibly put additional stress on the remaining cables — this caused the UCF-managed facility to cease all operations until an investigation was completed on what caused the cable to fail, the release states.
An update was provided on Oct. 12 with no culprit of what caused the auxiliary cable to fail — UCF outlined what had been done to date to repair the cable which included a complete safety assessment, shipping the socket involved in the failure to NASA Kennedy Space Center for further evaluation, and completing a review for a possible repair plan.
A second, main cable that supports the observatory broke on Nov. 6, causing additional damage to the dish and other nearby cables. Both the auxiliary cable and the main cable were connected to the same support tower, a news release states.
UCF President Alexander Cartwright said in a news release that the university’s team, alongside the NSF, has worked tirelessly to find ways to stabilize the telescope with minimal risk — he said it isn’t possible.
“While this outcome is not what we had been working towards, and we are disheartened to see such an important scientific resource decommissioned, safety is our top priority,” Cartwright said. “At a time when public interest and scientific curiosity about space and the skies has re-intensified, there remains much to understand about the data that has been acquired by Arecibo.”
The Arecibo Observatory is considered a cultural treasure in Puerto Rico and is visited by thousands of school children each year, and visitors from around the world, the release states.
Cartwright said that despite this disappointing setback, the university remains committed to the scientific mission in Arecibo and to the local community in Puerto Rico.
UCF will work with NSF to implement the safety plans and authorizations needed to begin the decommissioning process, which is not expected to begin for several weeks. The release states the goal is to keep as many parts intact for future reuse.
Check back with Knight News for updates.
