ASTRONOMY: Arecibo Repairs

[dewline]

Noticing this on Slashdot while otherwise continuing my job search this morning:

https://tech.slashdot.org/story/20/11/17/0053200/cable-failures-endanger-renowned-puerto-rico-radio-telescope

Comments

[thewayne]

Yeah, a second cable snapped. Very bad. I suppose there's no way to support the dish from the crater floor, though I have no idea how far it is from the floor to the bottom of the dish.

Rather than getting the proper replacement cable in place, they need to get as many smaller cables in to start relieving the strain ASAP! Otherwise they risk losing the whole thing!

[dewline]

And we've since learned the National Science Foundation's decision about the matter: decommissioning. :-(

[thewayne]

sigh  It makes sense, doesn't mean that I like it.  But it is the safest approach for all concerned.  Human life > fixing risky mega-radiotelescope.

[dewline]

Frankly, I'd like to see the thing rebuilt to the best of modern code, so to speak. Getting the grassroots lobbying underway now might be a good thing to do, yes?

[thewayne]

The problem is, the economy is going to be cratered for a while, it's just not going to be viable short-term.  It's going to take some time before planning resurrecting it as a radio-telescope can be done.