According to a new estimate, it will cost between 30 and 50 million dollars to clean up the mess caused by the collapse of the iconic Arecibo Observatory late last year, according to an NSF report setting out the aftermath of the disaster and possible next steps.
The investigation into the cause of the crash at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico is still ongoing, but the National Science Foundation, through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, has been asked to submit a report to Congress in which the causes and extent of the damage is set out. , the plan to remove debris in a safe and environmentally friendly manner, preserving the associated [Arecibo Observatory] facilities and surrounding areas, and the process of determining whether comparable technology should be established at the site, together with any cost estimates. ”
The NSF only had 60 days to draft the report after the law came into force, which may explain why it is so thin on the details. The report is only seven pages long and full of information we already knew. That said, the NSF did provide new details, such as the clean-up costs, an overview of the damage done to the plant, and an update on, among other things, the clean-up.
To sum up, an auxiliary cable from a support tower detached from the socket on 10 August 2020, causing great damage to the reflector panels below. A main cable on the same tower broke a few months later, leading to further damage to the land dish, used for radar and radio astronomy since 1963. The second cable failure was especially upsetting, as “this cable broke under conditions that should have been good in its support capacity, indicating that it, along with the remaining main cables, was possibly weaker than expected,” according to the new report. Engineering firms brought in to evaluate the structure said the cable failure would be catastrophic after this, decision around the thousand meters (305-meter) dish. While there are plans to demolish the land story radio telescope, however, the platform of 900 tons given away, collapses on December 1, 2020.
Inspections carried out after the collapse showed, according to the report, that the platform and the Gregorian dome were a “complete loss for scientific purposes”. The top 18 meters of platform support towers 12 and 4 collapsed during the collapse, and the top 121 meters (37 meters) of platform tower 8 erupted. As stated in the report, “the further assessment of the structural integrity of the towers continues.”
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The roof of the Learning Center suffered significant damage, but the NSF said it is recoverable. A preview used by staff for education and public outreach was completely ‘demolished’, while the visitor center got away unscathed, except for a small amount of damage caused by pieces of concrete, the new report said.
A private contractor and experts from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center are currently conducting a forensic analysis to determine the cause of the original failure of the sheath cable. A separate contractor is conducting the forensic investigation at Arecibo, with final reports from both contractors expected in December 2021. In addition to these efforts, the NSF calls for an “expedited independent study” into the cause of cable failures by the National Academics of Science, Engineering and Medicine.
A company specializing in disaster relief and environmental recovery has been brought in to help. Soil contaminated with hydraulic oils released during the collapse is sampled and removed. The cleanup team also tests groundwater and surface water near the plant. A “Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan” is working to “prevent sediment and pollution from migrating to the outskirts”, as are wildlife and vegetation investigations to protect the vulnerable species, according to the report.
The report estimates the cost of clearing between $ 30 million and $ 50 million from now until the end of 2022.
The NSF is working closely with the Puerto Rico State Historic Preservation Office and the Federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation to “protect and preserve historically important elements of the structures and site.” Valuables or valuables found during the cleanup process can be displayed at the observatory or sent to museums.
The future of the facility remains unclear. The NSF says it is still too early to know how the facility can be repaired or reconstructed to enable different types of scientific efforts, adding that restoration ‘requires different levels of effort and funding.’ According to the authors, there are still many technologies and more than a dozen different functions in the field, including a smaller 40-meter (12-meter) radio telescope and a LIDAR facility used to control the composition and motion of the ionosphere. study. As for repairing or reinventing the great dishes, the NSF said that ‘the process for establishing any important new scientific facility depends on priorities set by the scientific community and a careful peer review of the intellectual merits and the broader consequences of the proposed activity. ‘
A community workshop planned for this coming April should provide more information about the Arecibo Observatory and its future.
That a radio dish can be rebuilt at the facility is not out of the question. A proposal to build a $ 450 million Next Generation Arecibo Telescope was unveiled by the Observatory last month. It was dark days at Arecibo, but maybe there is reason for optimism.