A new estimate suggests it will cost between $ 30 million and $ 50 million to clean up the mess created by the collapse of the Arecibo Observatory’s iconic plate at the end of last year, according to an NSF report detailing the consequences of the disaster and possible next steps.
Research into the cause of the collapse at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico is still ongoing, but the National Science Foundation, through the Appropriation Consolidation Act (2021), was asked to submit a report to Congress explaining the “causes and extent of the damage, the plan to dispose of waste in a safe and environmentally friendly manner, the preservation of partners [Arecibo Observatory] facilities and surrounding areas, and the process for determining whether a site-comparable technology is established, along with associated cost estimates. “
The NSF had only 60 days to produce the report after the law was enacted, which may explain why it is so meager in detail. He report it’s only seven pages long and is full of information we already knew. That said, the NSF provided some new details, such as an estimate of the cost of cleaning, an overview of the damage caused to the facility, and a cleaning update, among other issues.
To summarize, an auxiliary cable from a support tower was removed from its socket on August 10, 2020, causing significant damage to the reflector panels below. A main cable in the same tower broke a few months later, causing even more damage to the tower dish, which has been used for radar and radio astronomy since 1963. He second cable the failure was especially worrying, as “this cable was broken under conditions that should have been within its support capabilities, indicating that, along with the other main cables, it may have been weaker than expected,” according to the new report. The engineering companies that intervened to evaluate the structure said that a subsequent cable failure would be catastrophic, which would result in an error. decision to unsubscribe from 1,000 feet (305-meters) flat. As it was planned to demolish the flats radio telescope, however, the 900-ton platform yielded, collapsing on December 1, 2020.
Inspections made after the collapse showed that the platform and the Gregorian dome were a “complete loss for scientific purposes,” according to the report. The first 18 meters of platform 12 and 4 support towers were broken during the collapse and the 37 meters of platform 8 support tower were broken. As the report states, “assessments of the structural integrity of the towers continue.”
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The roof of the learning center suffered significant damage, but the NSF said it can be repaired. A trailer used by education and public outreach staff was completely “demolished,” while the Visitor Center escaped unharmed, except for some minor damage caused by falling pieces of concrete, according to the new report..
A private contractor i they are experts at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is currently conducting a forensic analysis to determine the cause of the failure of the original auxiliary cable outlet. An independent contractor is conducting the forensic investigation in Arecibo, with the final reports of the two contractors scheduled for December 2021. In addition to these efforts, the SNF calls for the “independent study expedited” on the cause of the cable failures end National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine.
A company specializing in disaster cleaning and environmental rehabilitation has been hired. Soils contaminated with hydraulic oils, which were released during the collapse, are displayed and removed. The cleaning team is also testing groundwater and surface water near the facility. A “Rainwater Pollution Prevention Plan” is underway to “prevent sediment and pollutants from migrating out of place,” as well as wildlife and vegetation surveys to help protect vulnerable species, according to the report.
The report lists preliminary cleaning cost estimates between $ 30 million and $ 30 million $ 50 million by the end of 2022.
The NSF is now working with the Puerto Rico State Office of Historic Preservation and the Federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation on the “protection and preservation of historically important elements of structures and site.” Valuable or valuable objects found during the cleaning process could be exhibited at the observatory or sent to museums.
The future of the installation is still unclear. The NSF says it is still too early to know how the facility can be repaired or rebuilt to allow for different types of scientific efforts, adding that the restoration “will require different levels of effort and funding.” The authors said “many technologies and more than a dozen different capabilities” are still in place, including a radio telescope smaller than 12 meters and a LIDAR facility used to study the composition and movement of the ionosphere. With regard to the repair or reinvention of the large dish, the NSF said its “process for establishing any significant new scientific facility is based on the priorities set by the scientific community and a rigorous peer review of merit. intellectual property and the wider impacts of the proposed activity “.
A community workshop scheduled for next April should provide more information about the Arecibo Observatory and its future.
That a radio dish could be rebuilt in the installation is not out of the question. A proposal last month the observatory unveiled the $ 450 million “next-generation Arecibo Telescope”. It’s been dark days in Arecibo, but maybe there are reasons for optimism.