Arecibo Observatory featured in James Bond film "Goldeneye" shut down:
The famous observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, featured in the James Bond movie "GoldenEye," has been forced to temporarily close after a broken cable smashed through the side of its massive dish.
Around 2:45 a.m. Monday, a three-inch auxiliary cable that helped support a metal platform broke, according to a news release from the University of Central Florida. UCF manages the facility alongside Universidad Ana G. Méndez and Yang Enterprises, Inc.
When the cable broke, it created a 100-foot gash in the telescope's 1,000-foot-long reflector dish, according to UCF. It also damaged about six to eight panels along the observatory's Gregorian Dome, which is suspended over the reflector dish.
Also at WIRED and Science Mag
[Ed Note - Arecibo was also a filming location for the movies Contact and Species.]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by cmdrklarg on Thursday August 13 2020, @02:54PM (2 children)
I tried to minimize that aspect of the story when I submitted it, but to be fair most of the general public would not know about Arecibo without the reference. I didn't care for that little factoid being part of the headline, but James Bond catches more eyeballs than Radio Astronomy I suppose.
The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 13 2020, @03:23PM
No, I understand how it goes. And I do appreciate your story submission because I had not heard this news. But I'm a scientist and this kind of thing has been a burr in my saddle for the last 30 years. It is therapeutic for me if I vent about it every now and then. :)
(Score: 1) by PaperNoodle on Thursday August 13 2020, @08:08PM
Glad you didn't reference the movie Contact. That would have made things weird and awkward.
B3