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1. GeniusMusing (geniusmusing@nu.federati.net)'s status on Tuesday, 01-Dec-2020 09:42:16 EST GeniusMusing
   Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico Collapses Weeks After Suffering Major Damage The Weather Channel Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com
   https://weather.com/news/news/2020-12-01-arecibo-observatory-radio-telescope-collapses
   
   >The renowned Arecibo Observatory radio telescope in Puerto Rico, closed because of damage, completely collapsed Tuesday morning.
   >
   >"Friends, it is with deep regret to inform you that the Arecibo Observatory platform has just collapsed," tweeted Deborah Martorell, a senior meteorologist for WAPA-TV and El Nuevo Dia in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
   >
   >Martorell, who was at the observatory on Monday, received a call from a scientist at the site Tuesday saying the giant reflector dish and the Gregorian Dome that held instruments above it had both collapsed, El Nuevo Dia reported.
   >...
   1. mangeurdenuage (mangeurdenuage@loadaverage.org)'s status on Tuesday, 01-Dec-2020 11:50:56 EST mangeurdenuage

      in reply to
      I still don't understand how they didn't notice that earlier, such structures must have regular observation maintenance just like bridges.
      1. lnxw48a1 (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Tuesday, 01-Dec-2020 12:03:30 EST lnxw48a1

         in reply to
         @mangeurdenuage @geniusmusing I know they'd done quite a bit of work in the last few years. It was damaged in the big hurricane that hit the island.
         
         Having visited the radio telescope there, I don't know how they could regularly check the support cables and replace those that are damaged. It's a remote, mountainous area.
         
         Maybe they could have lowered the dome, but its weight would have destroyed the dish.
         1. mangeurdenuage (mangeurdenuage@loadaverage.org)'s status on Tuesday, 01-Dec-2020 12:43:51 EST mangeurdenuage

            in reply to
            @lnxw48a1 @geniusmusing
            > Maybe they could have lowered the dome, but its weight would have destroyed the dish.
            That seems like a design failure to me :/
   2. lnxw48a1 (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Tuesday, 01-Dec-2020 13:48:14 EST lnxw48a1

      in reply to
      Now that it has completely collapsed, they really could remove the debris and rebuild it ... and this time, with more of a nod toward maintainability.
      
      I know NSF already gave up on it, but they could change their minds.
      1. lnxw48a1 (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Tuesday, 01-Dec-2020 13:51:04 EST lnxw48a1

         in reply to
         One other thing to point out ... when I was in #PR, it was apparent that they'd been in a recession for a long time, because everywhere around me were signs of buildings and infrastructure not having been maintained.
         
         The radio-telescope's maintenance should have come from the money sent by NSF to the organization operating the telescope on their behalf, but it could be possible that some of the funding was supposed to be raised locally.
         1. GeniusMusing (geniusmusing@nu.federati.net)'s status on Tuesday, 01-Dec-2020 14:06:29 EST GeniusMusing

            in reply to
            @lnxw48a1 @mangeurdenuage
            >and this time, with more of a nod toward maintainability.
            
            It first used on November 1, 1963, so it lasted 57 years which is not really that bad given how many hurricanes have passed over it in that time.
            
            Arecibo Observatory Wikipedia
            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arecibo_Observatory