Iconic Arecibo Observatory May be on the Brink of Collapse after Cable Failures
upstart writes in with an IRC submission for Runaway1956_:
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.
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