Second Cable Fails at Arecibo, Causing More Damage to Famed SETI Dish
upstart writes in with an IRC submission:
Second Cable Fails at Arecibo, Causing More Damage to Famed SETI Dish:
Another cable has fallen onto the reflector dish at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, in yet another frustrating setback for this beloved facility.
The main support cable of the Arecibo Observatory failed and fell onto the dish below at 7:30 p.m. Puerto Rico time on Friday November 6, reports UCF Today. The extent of the damage is not yet known, but the dish was damaged further, as were some nearby cables. No one was hurt, but a safety zone has been set up around the facility as a precaution. With two failed support cables in three months, it's imperative that response teams now find a way to stabilize the structure.
[...] The response team will try to reduce the tension in the existing cables by installing steel reinforcements-something they'd like to do as soon as possible. The team is also hoping to expedite procurement of two new support cables currently on order. These plans could evolve over the next few days as the situation is assessed further.
[...] We reached out to Arecibo to learn more about the recent damage and other details, and we'll update this post should we hear back.
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