--- title: "Researchers Call For Rebuilding Collapsed SETI Observatory" description: "Scientists working at the Arecibo Observatory, right until it collapsed earlier this month, are calling for the massive radio telescope to be rebuilt." date: "2020-12-03" modified: "2020-12-03" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/researchers-rebuild-collapsed-arecibo-observatory" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "Arecibo" - "arecibo observatory" - "puerto rico" - "the digest" --- # Researchers Call For Rebuilding Collapsed SETI Observatory ![Scientists working at the Arecibo Observatory, right until it collapsed earlier this month, are calling for the massive radio telescope to be rebuilt.]() *\Image: NSF\* ## Crushed Dreams Researchers working at the Arecibo Observatory, which collapsed earlier this month, are calling for the massive radio telescope to be rebuilt, [*NBC News* reports](). On Tuesday morning, the 900-ton platform suspended above the delicate 1,000 foot dish [came crashing down]() following several support cables snapping under the weight in [October]() and [November](). ## A Tragedy For many in the scientific community, the collapse crushed hopes and dreams as well\\. "I was very sad, very disappointed," fourth year physics student at the University of Puerto Rico Génesis Ferrer told *NBC*. Ferrer had earned a fellowship from the Puerto Rico NASA Space Consortium to study red dwarf stars using the Arecibo Observatory. "I worked so hard to finally get accepted to work in the Arecibo Observatory," Ferrer added. "And now that I got accepted, I can't work in it." "It's a tragedy because we're seeing our dreams fading away," said Kevin Ortiz, another fourth year physics student at the university. ## We Can Rebuild Prior to the collapse, scientist coalitions on the island were collecting signatures to ask the White House to save the aging structure. Now, the same groups are turning to Congress to ask for help. "With the appropriate funding, we have a viable path towards reconstruction," Ortiz argued to *NBC*, adding that the investigations facility and the visitor's center are still intact. "The educational impact of the observatory is incalculable, at all levels, from professionals and college students to the high school academy and the elementary schools that visit our center," he added. **READ MORE:** [Puerto Rican scientists, shattered by collapse of Arecibo Observatory, push to rebuild]() \[*NBC News*\] **More on the collapse:** *[Dramatic Drone Video Shows Collapse of Alien-Hunting Observatory]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()