Okay, 2020 – just stop it already.
As may seem reasonable, in early 2020, astronomers using Arecibo found an asteroid resembling a man’s head. Wear a face mask. The powerful telescope, the victim of many disasters, will eventually be pushed beyond and beyond the shore. Before the year ends, the telescope will be dead.
In July 2016, the Five Hundred Meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) came online in China, and RCBo lost its title of the largest single aperture telescope in the world.
Hurricane Maria hit the dish in September 2017, destroying 30 of the facility’s 38,000 aluminum panels. Although relatively minor, it was the first in a series of events unfortunate for Arecibo.
The storm damaged the telescope by 2020, and a pair of cable breakdowns ruined the facility. The first of these results in August 2020, when a cable slipped from its socket, causing a 30-meter (100-foot) gush in the mammoth dish, as well as damaging the platform leading to the dome. While assessing the damage the facility was closed.
On November 7, a second cable broke just before repairs to the historic telescope. This second cable unexpectedly broke off, destroying a portion of the dome.
“The second broken cable was unexpected. Engineering assessments following the auxiliary cable failure indicated that the structure was stable … Engineers later found the 3-inch main cable that should have had its minimum braking strength during periods of cool weather, which would have likely caused other cables. Used to increase. Weaker than expected Subsequent inspections through drones of other cables revealed new wires breaking on some of the main cables. NSF Report.
Large incidents of the dish broke due to these events. Repairs were hampered by worldwide outbreaks. Three engineering firms were hired to assess the damage, along with the possibility to resume operations at the facility.
“After engineering assessments that damage the Crucibo Observatory cannot be addressed without endangering the lives and safety of the crew and staff, NSF plans to build a 305-meter telescope,” National Science Foundation Tweeted.
The US Army of Engineers determined that the remaining cables were in danger of snapping, resulting in collapse. Binoculars, Jeopardize nearby structures, and are beyond repair
Loss of any of these relationships can result in the collapse of a large portion of the dish, potentially killing or injuring someone standing nearby. The collapse of the Aresibo telescope is now inevitable.
On 19 November, the National Science Foundation, which oversees the observatory, announced the evacuation and demolition of the remains of the iconic telescope.
“The decommissioning process involves developing a technical execution plan and ensuring compliance with a range of legal, environmental, safety and cultural requirements in the coming weeks … When all the necessary preparations have been made, the telescope is a controlled disruption. Will be subject to. “ NSF Report.
NSF hopes to reopen parts of the site, including the LIDAR facility, the Qubra Research substation analyzing cloud cover, and the Visitor Center.
Arecibo Telescope has had a long and fruitful life, bringing science forward every year of nearly six decades of serving people Earth.
In addition to contact, the RCBo telescope is remembered in pop culture as a setting for the X-Files and the classic James Bond film, GoldenEye.
It is time to say goodbye to your beloved RCBo, but this tremendous instrument will always be remembered in our hearts and minds, as well as in its crude pictured image BinocularsJourney through the stars forever.
This article was originally published Cosmic partner by James maynard, Founder and publisher of The Cosmic Companion. He is a New England native desert rat in Tucson, where he lives with his loving wife, Nicole, and Max the Cat. You can read this original piece here.
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