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Arecibo telescope, on the brink of collapse, will be dismantled

sciencemag.org

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Re: Arecibo telescope, on the brink of collapse, will be dismantled

#21

Post by ocdtrekkie »

myself248 wrote: post #10

Fuuuuuuuck. I understand the decision to dismantle the failing structure which is currently unsafe and tricky to repair. But might a new one be built in its place? How can we push for that?

I mean, it's location is still surely ideal. But it's clear the construction that's there isn't safe. I wonder if, provided they're able to dismantle the remaining facility without complete collapse, if it'd be reasonable to "rebuild" on the same site.

It sounds like the towers should be rebuilt, all of the cables replaced, etc. And obviously the dish at minimum needs repair. I can't imagine anything would be salvageable from a complete collapse, but if they can bring down the observatory safely, it might not be crazy to think they could erect a new one over the dish at a later date.

Re: Arecibo telescope, on the brink of collapse, will be dismantled

#23

Post by PopePompus »

beamatronic wrote: post #6

Is the same money (replacement cost) better spent on a space-based solution?

Nothing remotely similar to this has ever been built in space. This telescope is one of the very few which transmits radio waves as well as receiving them. The transmitters are used for radar mapping of solar system objects, as well as ionospheric research. Reproducing this instrument in space would probably cost as much as the ISS. It would be a Large Hadron Collider class investment.

Re: Arecibo telescope, on the brink of collapse, will be dismantled

#25

Post by PopePompus »

Darmody wrote: post #13
myself248 wrote: post #10

Fuuuuuuuck. I understand the decision to dismantle the failing structure which is currently unsafe and tricky to repair. But might a new one be built in its place? How can we push for that?

Or maybe use all that money to build a good one on the Moon.

all of that money, plus a thousand times more.

Re: Arecibo telescope, on the brink of collapse, will be dismantled

#26

Post by marcinzm »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #12
protoster wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As the article explains, it has been deemed to be unsafe to repair. What's probably missing in that sentence is "...within an acceptable budget."

Not sure... even with an infinite budget, you need time to build your repair solutions. It's possible that for no amount of money can you repair it before it suffers complete collapse without doing risky things that may cause loss of life.

Yup, as the classic saying goes "nine women can't make a baby in one month". There's a minimum time for things even without budget constraints.

Re: Arecibo telescope, on the brink of collapse, will be dismantled

#28

Post by kitd »

IronRanger wrote: post #7

Is this a symbol of the degradation of human intellectual capability in the 21st century?

Tbf China has one that's half a kilometer wide, so there's still hope for progress :)

http://www.hexapolis.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Worlds-L...

Re: Arecibo telescope, on the brink of collapse, will be dismantled

#29

Post by Darmody »

PopePompus wrote: post #25
Darmody wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or maybe use all that money to build a good one on the Moon.

all of that money, plus a thousand times more.

Yes, of course it costs more, just as that telescope costs way more than the one I have at home.

Re: Arecibo telescope, on the brink of collapse, will be dismantled

#30

Post by deeeeplearning »

lobotryas wrote: post #14
Communitivity wrote: post #2

This is horrible. Arecibo is still crucial in radio astronomy experiments ongoing as of 2019. It should be repaired, until a replacement is built.

Whose money are you volunteering to be spent on that?

I'm sure you could trade a handful of Patriot missiles and one or two F-35's to fund it several times over.
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