Arecibo Observatory collapses

kju1

2[H]4U
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Wonder if they will rebuild it? Did it make any major scientific insights or discoveries?
 
And that is why the cable broke. Fucking Pierce Brosnan was never as good a Bond as Sean Connery may he RIP.
I kind of liked Brosnans' Bond.

He embodied the elegant gentleman bond. A man who fights with his mind more than his brawn.

I liked Sean Connery too, but looking at some of the older episodes, that era of Bond was scum.

The rape of Pussy Galore comes to mind. The coerced sex with the woman working in the health center in exchange for keeping quiet about him being forgotten in the steam chamber, etc. etc.

That era Bond character was absolute scum, and would go to The Bad Place.

Connery was a good actor though. He will be missed. I just - upon reviewing in 2020 - hate the character that was his Bond. That Bond has not aged well... That Bond is a rapist.
 
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I kind of liked Brosnans' Bond.

He embodied the elegant gentleman bond. A man who fights with his mind more than his brawn.

I liked Sean Connery too, but looking at some of the older episodes, that era of Bond was scum.

The rape of Pussy Galore comes to mind. The coerced sex with the woman working in the health center in exchange for keeping wuiet about him being forgotten in the steam chamber, etc. etc.

That era Bond character was absolute scum, and would go to The Bad Place.

Connery was a good actor though. He will be missed. I just - upon reviewing in 2020 - hate the character that was his Bond. That Bond has not aged well...

IMO Connerys Bond was more accurate in relation to the books.
 
Been checking all day, does anyone actually have any photos of the collapse, everything online is a pic of the damage from earlier in the year......
 
Been checking all day, does anyone actually have any photos of the collapse, everything online is a pic of the damage from earlier in the year......
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Next time build a phased array at or just above ground level.
Doesn't have to be especially flat or stay that way over time...
 
We knew it was coming, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

speaking as a giant nerd, this picture is heartbreaking.

I have mixed feelings about the thing. I am also a huge nerd, and I love astrophysics research. (at least the part of it I can understand. It's not always easily understandable to a layman)

That said, looking at the list of discoveries made using the Arecibo telescope I don't see much that benefits the common man.

These are all interesting information to a geek, but are they really valuable enough to the average taxpayer to warrant spending the amount of money it takes to build and maintain something like this?

I'm all for public funding of research, but it has to have realistic goals of improving the lives of those who are paying for it, within a reasonable time frame (their lifetimes?)
 
Meh its totally obsolete. Let it be turned into pavement or razor blades. Modern tech is far far more sophisiticated. Not sad at all. Just build a bigger better mkre equipped telescope in its place
 
I have mixed feelings about the thing. I am also a huge nerd, and I love astrophysics research. (at least the part of it I can understand. It's not always easily understandable to a layman)

That said, looking at the list of discoveries made using the Arecibo telescope I don't see much that benefits the common man.

These are all interesting information to a geek, but are they really valuable enough to the average taxpayer to warrant spending the amount of money it takes to build and maintain something like this?

I'm all for public funding of research, but it has to have realistic goals of improving the lives of those who are paying for it, within a reasonable time frame (their lifetimes?)

Some research is foundational and will never appear to improve the life of anyone. Understanding our universe is foundational imo. Plus this dish was used to help track potential asteroids wasn't it?
 
I can’t disagree, Zarathustra[H] .

However, once upon a time we liked science so much and thought it was so worth the investment we built a ridiculously huge radio telescope in a remote jungle mountaintop located on an island. It’s crazy, but it can’t hurt, right?

I miss that. Broken telescope just drives it home. Felt the same way when the last Shuttle mission landed.
 
I have mixed feelings about the thing. I am also a huge nerd, and I love astrophysics research. (at least the part of it I can understand. It's not always easily understandable to a layman)

That said, looking at the list of discoveries made using the Arecibo telescope I don't see much that benefits the common man.
I would guess the vast majority of what it has done is it has verified the findings of other radio telescopes. So while the discovery list is relatively small, there really is only one of them and telescope is extremely limited so no one is going to "search for an idea" on it, they're going to see some evidence with a smaller telescope (or array of telescopes) and just say "hey point there and give us a verification"
 
Meh its totally obsolete. Let it be turned into pavement or razor blades. Modern tech is far far more sophisiticated. Not sad at all. Just build a bigger better mkre equipped telescope in its place

Well, the dish itself is damaged now, but maybe that can be fixed.

I'd imagine a new suspended receiver coupled with a repair to the dish and a fresh coating of whatever material is necessary to properly reflect signals to match the new receiver, would be a cheaper way to renew the bilities of the thing, rather than turning it into a parking lot in the middle of the jungle :p
 
So while the discovery list is relatively small, there really is only one of them...
The Chinese opened up one much biggest last year.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-hundred-meter_Aperture_Spherical_Telescope

Also I think they're are arrays of radio telescoped that when all aimed at a particular spot are much more sensitive than Arecibo. I guess my point is science and progress marches on. It was iconic to me, and I am saddened by it's loss. Do remember first learning about it & SETI and being excited.
 
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Just get a fleet of drones with receivers hanging off of them and rotate them as they need fuel/charge. Then you have no heavy structure you have to suspend over the dish. The electronics can be insulated, and the drones nav by gps (or triangulation from towers around the dish, but that'd require transmitting near the dish). Makes adjustments to alignment easy, too.
 
Oh yeah, forgot about that one, also known as the telescope that the Chinese government forceably relocated about 10,000 people for.

Also I think they're are arrays of radio telescoped that when all aimed at a particular spot are much more sensitive than Arecibo. I guess my point is science and progress marches on. It was iconic to me, and I am saddened by it's loss. Do remember first learning about it & SETI and being excited.
Yes there absolutely are array setups, interferometry is big with radio telescopes. My point though was that even though it may not of had many discoveries, it was used as a verification method for many, so it doesn't get the credit but did get a free meal out of it :)
 
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