Arecibo Won’t Be Rebuilt

The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico collapsed in 2020 and the National Science Foundation won't rebuild it. The National Science Foundation has solicited calls for proposals to build an educational center at the site.

The plans do not allow for any future science or observing from the other facilities at the Arecibo site, as the NSF said they will not provide any "operational support for current scientific infrastructure, such as the 12- meter radio telescope or Lidar facility."

The announcement has been met with shock and disappointment.

native Puerto Rican and planetary astronomer Edgard Rivera-Valentn, who was born in Arecibo and was inspired by the science and discoveries being made in their back yard, is devastated by the decision.

Rivera-Valentn said that Arecibo's role in inspiring generations of Puerto Ricans was due to the fact that they had a world-class facility. I saw how important the role was when I was the first Arecibeo scientist to work there. It did so because we were using the telescope. Scientists at the observatory could be mentors to students. Without the scientists, I don't think the visitor center will be the same as a memorial.

The radio astronomy community was devastated by the collapse of Arecibo's radio telescope. In early 2020, earthquakes temporarily closed the observatory for safety reasons, then a succession of cable failures eventually led to the collapse of the 900-ton instrument platform suspended above the observatory. There were hopes that the observatory would be refurbished.

Many have called for the telescope to be rebuilt or for a better telescope to be built at the site. Arecibo could be used as a hub for outreach and education in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The Arecibo Observatory won't be rebuilt, according to the NSF. The loss of the Arecibo Observatory planetary radar greatly affects the ability to perform follow-up NEO characterization. Half the asteroids can be seen with existing radar infrastructure.

Rivera-Valentn is a planetary scientist whose work includes radar characterization of NEOs.

For over 50 years, the Arecibo Observatory was the world's largest single-aperture telescope. It was used in a number of research areas. The observatory is on the US National Register of Historic Places.

The facility has contributed to a number of important discoveries in astronomy and cosmology, including the first-millisecond pulsar, the first exoplanets, and helping to study asteroids and planets in the solar system. The source data for SETI@ home and Project Phoenix was provided by the facility.

Puerto Ricans will be affected by the decision not to rebuild. The observatory has become a source of pride and local economic benefit for many of Puerto Rico's citizens, as well as providing access to training and employment for many in the community.

It will be difficult to retain island-born scientists and engineers because of the lack of on-island opportunities.

Many people are leaving the island for jobs because of this, Rivera-Valentn said. Scientists and engineers were employed by the Arecibo Observatory to retain some of the important science, technology, engineering and mathematics expertise on the island. Puerto Rico doesn't have a lot of opportunities for astronomy. The university system has this. Puerto Rico did not offer a degree in astronomy. The University of Puerto Rico now offers astronomy degrees because of the work the observatory scientists have done in engaging the local community.

Rivera-Valentn sees the potential for the efforts to be hampered if there is no active scientific facility.

Rivera-Valentn hopes he's wrong.

The latest report on Arecibo can be found here.