The US National Science Foundation (NSF) said last week that it would not rebuild the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. Instead, the foundation intends to build an educational center focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Such a center would expand existing education and outreach opportunities. It is expected to open in 2023, the NSF said in a statement.
The NSF invites proposals to manage “the education, STEM research, and outreach aspects of the center.” The observatory once housed the most powerful radio telescope in the world, but it collapsed in late 2020.
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The Arecibo Observatory has been deactivated since 2020
In December of the same year, the government of Puerto Rico signed an executive order to allocate approximately $8 million to rebuild the Arecibo Observatory Telescope, which had been out of service since August. However, the plan fell through and now, in 2022, the NSF has made it official that there will be no rebuilding.
After sustaining two major damages this year, the US National Science Foundation announced that it would decommission and demolish the legendary telescope. The 59-year-old facility has hosted Nobel Prize-winning scientists and Hollywood blockbusters over the years, while being the second-largest such facility in the world.
Its futuristic-looking suspension bridge and grand Gregorian dome were featured in films like 1997’s Contact, starring Jodie Foster, and the 1995 James Bond film Golden Eye.
The National Science Foundation owns the facility, which is currently operated by the University of Central Florida and a consortium of island organizations and businesses. The observatory is located about 100 kilometers west of the capital, San Juan, in the mountainous interior of Puerto Rico. It was damaged in Hurricane Maria in 2017 and rocked by earthquakes in early 2020. An investigation into the cause of the collapse is still ongoing.
Image: NSF/Disclosure
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