DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Four years after the radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico collapsed, a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is shining a light on the unprecedented failures that caused its destruction. The zinc gradually lost its hold on the cables suspending the telescope’s main platform over the reflector dish. The telescope was built in the 1960s with money from the Defense Department amid a push to develop anti-ballistic missile defenses. Following a few other cable failures, the federal agency decided to begin a plan to decommission the telescope in November 2020. In 2022, the National Science Foundation said it would not rebuild Puerto Rico's renowned radio telescope.

Persons: Roger L, McCarthy Organizations: Arecibo, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, University of Central, National Science Foundation, Arecibo Observatory, Defense Department Locations: Puerto Rico, University of Central Florida, Puerto

☆ Astronomers ‘hear’ the celestial choir of gravitational waves for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Astronomers have been able to “hear” the celestial hum of powerful gravitational waves, created by collisions between black holes, echoing across the universe for the first time. Gravitational waves, initially predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916, are ripples in space-time that were first detected in 2015. Einstein theorized that gravitational waves would stretch and compress space as they moved across the universe, affecting how radio waves travel. More than 190 scientists set out to discover the frequencies of gravitational waves as part of the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves collaboration, also known as NANOGrav. Searching for a celestial choirThe newly detected gravitational waves are the most powerful ever measured.

Persons: Albert Einstein, Einstein, ”, Chiara Mingarelli, We’ve, Simonnet, Scott Ransom, “, ” Ransom, Luke Kelley, ” Kelley, it’s, ” Mingarelli, “ It’s, Stephen Taylor Organizations: CNN —, American Nanohertz, Green Bank, Yale University, National Radio Astronomy, University of California, Vanderbilt University Locations: Arecibo, Puerto Rico, West Virginia, New Mexico, Berkeley, Europe, India, China, Australia

☆ Inside SETI’s E.T. transmission test
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Deblina Chakraborty | Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, shown here, played a key role in SETI's test by sending a message to Earth on May 24. The Allen Telescope Array in Northern California is one of three observatories that picked up the transmission. But the event also correctly simulates the fact that it wouldn’t be SETI’s role to decipher the message, just to point out its reception. However, neither SETI nor any other organization on Earth has yet picked up any intelligent signal from the stars. He composed an interstellar radio message that was sent in 1974.

Persons: It’s, ”, Daniela de Paulis, “, Seth Shostak, ” de Paulis, Wael Farah, “ It’s, Jodie Foster, ” Farrah, Frank Drake, —, Neil Hall, Drake, , Neill Sanders, they’ve Organizations: CNN, SETI, Green Bank, Medicina, Orbiter, ESA, Allen, NASA, SETI Institute, Reuters, Arecibo Locations: Northern California, West Virginia, Bologna, Italy, American, Puerto Rico, Arecibo, British

☆ Puerto Rico's iconic Arecibo Observatory won't be replaced after crashing to its doom 2 years ago. Dramatic photos and video show pieces of the broken telescope being overtaken by the jungle.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Before-and-after images of the Arecibo Observatory show a dramatic collapse that ended an era in space research. For nearly 60 years, the Arecibo Observatory made significant contributions to astronomy. The Arecibo Observatory, a legendary radio telescope nestled in the lush mountains of Puerto Rico, has served as an essential lookout into the cosmos for nearly six decades. From tracking asteroids to discovering the first planets outside our solar system, Arecibo made fundamental contributions to our knowledge of space. The telescope's observing equipment hung from a platform strung over a 1,000-foot radio dish until December 1, 2020.

☆ World-renowned Puerto Rico telescope won't be rebuilt after collapse
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The National Science Foundation announced Thursday that it will not rebuild a renowned radio telescope in Puerto Rico, which was one of the world’s largest until it collapsed nearly two years ago. Instead, the agency issued a solicitation for the creation of a $5 million education center at the site that would promote programs and partnerships related to science, technology, engineering and math. The decision was mourned by scientists around the world who used the telescope at the Arecibo Observatory for years to search for asteroids, planets and extraterrestrial life. The education component is very important,” said James Moore, assistant director for education and human resource directorate at NSF. He said by phone that one of the agency’s priorities is to make STEM more accessible and inclusive and that the proposed education center would fill that need.

Search resuls for: "Arecibo Observatory"

5 mentions found