The Largest Radiotelescope on the Planet
The group that runs the facility is- The National Astronomic and Ionosphere Center. That entity is administrated by the Cornell University.
Funding to run the experiments and maintain the Observatory come from many sources, but I can say from first hand that it appears to be efficiently run. Some of the electrical Control Center gear dates back to the original 1959 installation… that’s the year I started 1st grade! Their operational premise is- “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. They have systems that predate desktop computers… newer systems running the old DOS shell.. some other computers with Windows 95 and 98 and Apple’s OSX too. They are always scrounging for old government surplus hardware to update and maintain their system.
Interesting Fact- Several of the newly acquired sensing units were removed from the now defunct Early Warning System (also from the late ’50’s- early ’60’s) spread out across Alaska, then shipped here.
It would be near impossible to make these units today, so saving them from the scrap yard and putting them to work here makes big sense. I had been on a tour of the Clear Early Warning Site when I was a Junior in high school. They gave me and about a dozen other Science Fair winners the big tour. They even ran a demo of the ‘big WAR board’ of the world with the US being invaded by the Russians… great cold war stuff… But I digress. The Observatory is truly self-contained with a full machine shop where they make many of their own replacement parts.
When it comes to getting your government moneys’ worth, this place is at the top of the science pile. That anyone would even EVER consider shutting it down to ‘save money’ seems ludicrous.
The Radiotelescope draws so much electricity, that they have their own turbine generator. The main unit sucks up 2 million watts!
The Observatory is about 30 minutes from the town of Arecibo, if you know how the heck to get there. It took me about an hour to do it, but it was complicated by a heavy rain storm that seriously fogged up the windshield.
Once you finally make it to the parking lot, there is an up-hill climb to the independently operated Angel Ramos Foundation Visitor Center. They normally charge $6 for adults and $4 for children, but I was there for an ‘Open House’ so it was free. Even at those prices, its worth checking out. The visitors center is a nicely done 2 story structure with many, many interactive displays covering a range of science topics.. very professionally executed. Furthermore, there are plenty of staff to answer any of your questions. Just outside the center is an observation area to view the big dish. There are also a couple of concessions stands on the grounds too.
I was most privileged to get a one-on-one tour of the Control Center. Something the general public never sees. My contact, Israel Cabrera is one of only 3 Radiotelescope Operators at Arecibo. There are several Engineers too and I had the privilege of meeting them as well. Mr. Cabrera (in the red shirt) explained that he was responsible for assisting researchers (physically present as well as remotely) making use of the Radiotelescope, that the Operators were also responsible for monitoring 12 lasers used to keep the telescope in alignment, plus all of the day to day needs of maintaining the mishmash of electronic and computer hardware. He also showed me the room that housed the main transmitter guide. They use it to study asteroids that might pose a problem for Earth as well as details on the Moon and deep sky research. He said that since the Moon was in a convenient orbit right now, they would be concentrating on it for the next few days. The Main Control Room is staffed 24/7/365 since it requires constant monitoring. This means ALL support staff, Operators and Engineers are on-call around the clock.
The Radiotelescope never sleeps
One more interesting fact– The ‘dish’ was not cut from the surrounding rock, but was a natural depression with which an Aluminum dish was fabricated to fit. I did not know that…
This for me, has been the highlight of my trip. Many, Many thanks to Mr. Israel Cabrera
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