The Arecibo Observatory, and radio telescope site in Puerto Rico totally collapsed and was destroyed on Tuesday. The site served as a world-class resource for astronomy and geospace research for 57 years. 

The renowned Arecibo was featured in some film classics including the James Bond film “Goldeneye” and Carl Sagan’s thriller “Contact” starring Jodie Foster. It also played a key role in many advances in the world of astronomy. 

Damage and loss at Arecibo Observatory

In August the Arecibo sustained some serious damage when a socket holding the auxiliary cable snapped. More damage happened on November 6 when support cables broke.

Yesterday, the telescope's 900-ton receiver platform plummeted  400 feet and crashed onto the reflector dish below. The 1,000-foot diameter reflector dish was shattered in areas where the impact occurred.

Dr. Jonathan Friedman, a scientist who worked in the Arecibo Observatory for years, described the collapse to Puerto Rican WAPA-TV. "At first, I thought it was one of the earthquakes that we felt in January. It sounded like a train or an avalanche. The rumble lasted a few seconds," Friedman said in Spanish.

Arecibo was being decommissioned 

The U.S. National Sci­ence Foundation (NSF)  announced its decision to decommission the Arecibo Observatory and space telescope on November 19, 2020.

The NSF made its decision after reviewing “multiple assessments by independent engineering companies that found the telescope structure is in danger of a catastrophic failure and its cables may no longer be capable of carrying the loads they were designed to support.”

On November 24, the NSF issued an update indicating that during aerial drone surveillance even more damage was identified on Tower 4. The concern had become how to safely decommission the telescope. 

“This is the same tower to which the failed auxiliary cable and the broken main cable were attached. Safety is NSF’s top priority. As engineers continue their work on a safety plan for the 305-meter telescope decommissioning process, NSF will continue to assess the situation and use every available resource to determine a safe path forward.”

Scientific community and locals stunned by the loss

The news of the loss was felt by the scientific community and especially impacted Puerto Ricans across the U.S. territory. Many have been advocating for the preservation of the Arecibo Observatory.

The telescope was used as a training ground for graduate students and drew about 90,000 visitors a year. 

Wilbert Andrés Ruperto, with the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, based at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez, started a social media campaign on Facebook and Twitter to #SaveTheAreciboObservatory.

According to a press release issued by the NSF there were no injuries reported as a result of the Arecibo Observatory collapse.

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