Iconic Arecibo Observatory may be on the brink of collapse after cable failures:
The first cable slipped out of its socket on Aug. 10 at 2:45 a.m. local time. On its way down, it damaged observation facilities suspended above the dish, as well as gouging a 100-foot-long (30 meters) "gash" in the fragile dish, according to a statement from the University of Central Florida, which operates the facility.
The situation became much more dire on Nov. 6 at 7:39 p.m., when a second cable — this time, one of the primary cables — snapped, compromising the structural integrity of the 900-ton (800,000 kilograms) platform that looms over the dish, holding the facility's antennas and scientific instruments.
"Time right now is critical," [Abel] Mendez told Space.com. "I'm totally scared of what's happening at the observatory now. I am so worried about it."
Evaluating the situation is also difficult, since reaching the suspended platform and the towers that anchor its supporting cables is dangerous. "When you have access to the towers, when you have access to the platform, there's a million ways you can remove a failed cable, hoist a new cable, things like that," [Francisco] Cordova said. "When you can't access the attachment points for these cables, then that becomes a big challenge."
[...] The observatory has put together a suite of options for stabilizing the situation and is waiting for a decision from the National Science Foundation, which owns the facility, about how to proceed. "Hopefully in the next couple days, we'll have that decision," Cordova said.
(Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 18 2020, @07:35AM (2 children)
Azuma Hazuki will spin this to somehow blame it on racism and white men. She is such a crybaby.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 18 2020, @05:04PM (1 child)
You know you've made it when you are noteworthy enough to have a nemesis. For me, maybe someday . . .
(Score: 2) by Mykl on Wednesday November 18 2020, @09:59PM
Oh AC, don't be like that. You're the nemesis of everyone who has enough conviction to put their (fake) name behind their comments.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 18 2020, @10:17AM (3 children)
Why are they scared? Why don't they fix the cables instead? Did they do regular maintenance so things wouldn't degenerate to this state?
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 18 2020, @01:23PM
You should work for them, I'm sure it never occurred to them to replace the cables and maintain them.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 18 2020, @02:42PM
Is the government of PR imposing a quarantine of 14 days on any repairmen?
(Score: 2) by epitaxial on Wednesday November 18 2020, @04:22PM
When was the last time it was in service? Perhaps its falling apart because there are better methods now.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Subsentient on Wednesday November 18 2020, @10:47AM
The aliens didn't want to be found, so they snuck out there in the middle of the night with a pair of bolt cutters.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
(Score: 2) by choose another one on Wednesday November 18 2020, @11:01AM (1 child)
Pretty sure I've seen the movie of this. Can't remember the name, maybe "Bond"? Bond something or other?
:-)
(Score: 5, Funny) by looorg on Wednesday November 18 2020, @11:33AM
It's in Goldeneye. I don't recall exactly but I think some cables snapped there to, perhaps they forgot to fasten them properly afterwards if it just wasnt special effects ... That or they are already shooting a remake.
(Score: 2) by stretch611 on Wednesday November 18 2020, @11:03AM (4 children)
Here is to hoping that it can survive 2-3 months without a fix...
let's just say that the current government administration has no interest in any type of science funding
Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 18 2020, @03:24PM (1 child)
I doubt it can be saved at this point. It was 2 months between first and second cable, the third would be expected to fail more quickly then that. I don't even think they could get parts and equipment on site quickly enough to even try. At this point they would need to add 3-4 cables to stabilize things, two to replace the missing cables and the others to reinforce the about to snap ones. In addition the workers fixing this would be at very high risk, if you are near one of those suckers when it breaks you will get chopped in half.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 18 2020, @04:40PM
I agree. Maybe start to off load the weight from the scope room. If it's safe to go into it. How much weight can a balloon take? It might help to lighten it. Pray for no wind!
Or just throw it out the window. Time for new equipment anyway! Toilets, chairs, desk, office equipment first then science stuff.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 18 2020, @07:05PM (1 child)
TDS strike again!
Strange isn't it how the "current government administration (that) has no interest in any type of science funding" has increased NASA's budget every-single-year-they-were-in-office..
(Score: 2) by Mykl on Wednesday November 18 2020, @10:02PM
Hey, Space Forcetm won't just build itself.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 18 2020, @06:11PM
The Big Welfare Machine feeds off of Arecibo's funding.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 18 2020, @07:41PM (1 child)
Has anyone seen a pic of the observatory that explicitly shows which cables broke? Arecibo Observatory uses at least two dozen cables and I have no idea which ones are primary, secondary, or which ones snapped.
I've seen pics of the damage to the dish itself, a closeup pic of a frayed cable, a pic of a cable just hanging down from the receiver, but no images that points out which ones of the dozens of support cables broke.
Hopefully it can be repaired. It's one of just a few radio telescopes that can do radar-astronomy.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 18 2020, @11:46PM
Easy to repair with access, new cables, and funds.
Unfortunately access requires risking life and limb, new cables are special order, and funds are slower than the failure rate.
This looks like a death spiral, unless some large ET fan shows up and saves the day.
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Friday November 20 2020, @03:28AM
Helicopters? Heavy-duty cargo drones?