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Great! Now they can replace it with something new instead of trying to salvage outdated equipment, software and engineers!

Accujack 6y ago
The equipment has never really been outdated. It's been updated as the telescope has operated, since the antenna itself hasn't needed updating. Computers and software included. Until this collapse, the management was actually hoping to save all the instrumentation located in the suspended focal point of the dish - it was all useful, and much if it was quite up to date and not easily replaced. It's unlikely in the present political climate it will be replaced, regardless.
space_ghost 6y ago
Outdated engineers?
- SeeManDo 6y ago
  Those engineers job security might be the only reason that "the equipment has never really been outdated"
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
beezle 6y ago
Is there still a use case for a new dish built into the same natural bowl? Why not build somewhere else? If there had never been an Arecibo at that location would someone actually pick it today to site a new scope? Not trying to diss all that has been accomplished with Arecibo just wonder if there are not better places to direct funding, assuming it can be found.
- dralley 6y ago
  Both you and OP are missing the point. This will not be replaced - not because there is no scientific value in doing so - but because there is no political motivation for doing so. Most if not all of these radio telescopes (including Aricebo) were built in the 60s and 70s with military funding. Science was never the driving motivation for building them -- intercepting Soviet radio communications was.
- Rebelgecko 6y ago
  I think the benefits of that location were 1: Relatively close to the equator 2: Relatively low noise floor Even though there are places that probably meet those criteria better than PR, the US Government wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole for political reasons
dralley 6y ago
It's not going to be replaced. Congress never funded these radio telescope projects in the 1960s and 1970s for the "science". For the first couple of years the primary purpose of Aricebo was locating and intercepting Soviet radio transmissions bouncing off the atmosphere. A huge percentage of radio astronomy equipment is just military leftovers. It's not gonna get funded for science purposes alone.

Accujack 6y ago

The equipment has never really been outdated. It's been updated as the telescope has operated, since the antenna itself hasn't needed updating. Computers and software included. Until this collapse, the management was actually hoping to save all the instrumentation located in the suspended focal point of the dish - it was all useful, and much if it was quite up to date and not easily replaced. It's unlikely in the present political climate it will be replaced, regardless.

space_ghost 6y ago

Outdated engineers?

SeeManDo 6y ago
Those engineers job security might be the only reason that "the equipment has never really been outdated"

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

beezle 6y ago

Is there still a use case for a new dish built into the same natural bowl? Why not build somewhere else? If there had never been an Arecibo at that location would someone actually pick it today to site a new scope? Not trying to diss all that has been accomplished with Arecibo just wonder if there are not better places to direct funding, assuming it can be found.

dralley 6y ago
Both you and OP are missing the point. This will not be replaced - not because there is no scientific value in doing so - but because there is no political motivation for doing so. Most if not all of these radio telescopes (including Aricebo) were built in the 60s and 70s with military funding. Science was never the driving motivation for building them -- intercepting Soviet radio communications was.
Rebelgecko 6y ago
I think the benefits of that location were 1: Relatively close to the equator 2: Relatively low noise floor Even though there are places that probably meet those criteria better than PR, the US Government wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole for political reasons

dralley 6y ago

It's not going to be replaced. Congress never funded these radio telescope projects in the 1960s and 1970s for the "science". For the first couple of years the primary purpose of Aricebo was locating and intercepting Soviet radio transmissions bouncing off the atmosphere. A huge percentage of radio astronomy equipment is just military leftovers. It's not gonna get funded for science purposes alone.