A new education center will open next year at the site of the collapsed radio telescope.
The Arecibo Observatory was an unusual facility because it was a key player in three different fields of science. The telescope's equipment was hung from a platform over a huge dish. The telescope was destroyed in December 2020 when the cables supporting that platform gave out.
The National Science Foundation, which owns the site, decided that the Arecibo Observatory won't get a new telescope to replace the one that was lost. The instruments that remain operational at the observatory are not included in the new education project.
The astronomer at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo told Space.com that they were worried that it could be worse than this. My hope was higher.
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The site will be transformed into a hub for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, due to open in 2023, according to a statement. The Science and Visitor Center is located at the observatory.
13 for a new multidisciplinary, world-class educational center at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico that aims to serve as a hub forSTEM education and outreach. Existing education and outreach opportunities at the Arecibo Observatory site would be expanded by the center.
The statement states that teams that want to use the existing instruments or build new ones can submit proposals that are in line with the new center.
The agency expects to provide $5 million over the course of five years. The observatory will get a five-year maintenance contract worth at least $1 million each year according to the Associated Press. It was enough to keep the lights on but not enough to support research.
The observatory was undamaged by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. The observatory was temporarily closed due to a series of earthquakes. The facility seemed to be okay for a while.
In August, one of the thick cables supporting the 900-ton platform fell through the dish and left a gash in the delicate panels. Engineers said that the situation was under control.
The second cable failed just before the repairs were due to start. After analyzing the situation, engineers decided that the telescope was too unstable to be repaired. The telescope collapsed on the morning of December 1, 2020.
Scientists have called for the telescope to be rebuilt or for another instrument to be built to replace it. The archive of the Arecibo Telescope's decades of data will live on.
"For a long time you will hear a paper from Arecibo Observatory," he said.
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