Video of Arecibo telescope collapse

[astroron]

Very sad to watch this destruction
https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/arecibo/?fbclid=IwAR0SBZ9_hVWVjrKwmvYyWMZo7 RvHoRBFCr9h9zb8XKsD0CCIdukxFTVoP8Q

[N1]

Unbelievable

[alpal]

That's sad - it should never have happened.
The cables should have replaced long before they broke.
Didn't they have a proper maintenance schedule?

[astroron]

I have read somewhere, that after hurricane Maria in 2017 a later investigation had shown that there was much more damage to cables than was first thought, and there were plans for major replacements but it seems mother nature beat them to it.
Cheers:thumbsup:

[alpal]

Or it could have been lack of money.

[astroron]

Apparently $10,000,000 had already been allocated for the stabilization and upgrade of the cables.
An engineering program was being made when the first cable broke.
But in my opinion that was too late, it's fate was sealed.
Cables were braking at 60% strength.
No way back.
Cheers:thumbsup:

[DavidTrap]

From what I’ve read, they’ve been fighting off closure due to funding for years...

DT

[appiice]

In November it was reported ( https://www.universetoday.com/148866/aricebos-damage-is-so-serious-and-dangerous-theyre-just-going-to-scrap-the-observatory-entirely/ ) that the telescope was damaged beyond repair ( from a 2017 storm ).

The damage from that storm was thought to be repairable but further investigations by several structural engineering firms showed the structure was now unsafe and thus was beyond repair. it was then decided to be scrapped.

Gravity and maybe an mag 4 earthquake then caused the total failure.

That said, OH&S or WHS safe working practices would have kept this bloke on the ground.

It is sad it is gone but like life everything fails eventually.

Ed

[alpal]

Losing Arecibo's giant dish leaves humans more vulnerable to space rocks, scientists say.

By Meghan Bartels (https://www.space.com/author/meghan-bartels) 4 days ago
Arecibo was a cornerstone in the campaign to protect Earth from asteroids.


https://www.space.com/arecibo-observatory-loss-for-planetary-defense-asteroids

[alpal]

But take a look here:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263678327_Suspension_Bridge_Cable_R eplacement

http://www.freyssinet.com/freyssinet/wfreyssinet_en.nsf/0/D2A8A76D3D96A1E1C1257C6A003372E7/$file/R+VII+1_MAINTENANCE+OF+CABLE-STAYED+STRUCTURES_EN_V06.PDF (http://www.freyssinet.com/freyssinet/wfreyssinet_en.nsf/0/D2A8A76D3D96A1E1C1257C6A003372E7/$file/R+VII%201_MAINTENANCE+OF+CABLE-STAYED+STRUCTURES_EN_V06.PDF)

Suspension bridges have their cables and other parts replaced
as part of regular maintenance.
Why shouldn't Arecibo have received the same treatment?

[jahnpahwa]

Sadness of its loss aside, I found that video pretty thrilling.