What Really Happened at the Arecibo Telescope?

On the morning of December 1st, 2020, one of the most iconic astronomical instruments in the world collapsed. The Arecibo Telescope was not only one of the largest radio telescopes in the world, it was also a fascinating problem in structural engineering. Its loss was felt across the world. This video provides a quick lesson on radio telescopes, a summary of the failure, and some discussion about the engineering lessons learned in the wake of the event. I hope that eventually, they can replace the telescope with an instrument as futuristic and forward-looking as the Arecibo telescope was when first conceived. It was an ambitious and inspiring structure, and we sure will miss it.

Practical Engineering is a YouTube channel about infrastructure and the human-made world around us. It is hosted, written, and produced by Grady Hillhouse. We have new videos posted regularly, so please subscribe for updates. If you enjoyed the video, hit that ‘like’ button, give us a comment, or watch another of our videos!

CONNECT WITH ME
____________________________________

SPONSORSHIP INQUIRIES
____________________________________

DISCLAIMER
____________________________________
This is not engineering advice. Everything here is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Contact an engineer licensed to practice in your area if you need professional advice or services. All non-licensed clips used for fair use commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.

SPECIAL THANKS
____________________________________
Stock video and imagery provided by Getty Images, Shutterstock, Alamy, and Videoblocks.
Tonic and Energy by Elexive is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License
Producer/Writer/Host: Grady Hillhouse
Assistant Producer: Wesley Crump
Script Editor: Ralph Crewe

[PracticalEngineeringChannel]

🚧 When was the first time you heard of Arecibo?

[shooplah]

BF4 Players be like: Ya bud, it’s called levolution and it’s a part of the map.

[silverhammer]

It's really crazy how accurate the DICE team was at recreating it and even the damage after the receiver fell in game

[lunawenko]

I first saw this telescope in Goldeneye, thinking it was just a made-up set to have some cool base for the villain. When I learned that it actually is a real place, I was instantly fascinated and interested in the structure

[marli]

Puerto Rican here. I did multiple field trips to the "Radio telescopio de Arecibo" as we called it. One with my school and one with my family just for fun. It was norml to go admire it since it meant so much to us. Even today, if you mention it to a Puerto Rican from the island we think of it with sadness. When it fell it was all anyone could think about. We really did lose an icon.

[lindenxr]

The engineers who established the safe zones, and recommended the structure be demolished so that they wouldn't risk lives on futile attempts to save it, should be honored. They very likely saved numerous lives with their assessment and education.

[chickendrawsdogs]

The engineers saw it coming and took safety measures, that's extremely commendable.

[auntiejen]

I remember seeing news of the collapse. At the time, I thought it had just been allowed to deteriorate because it was obsolete. I'm both gratified and sad to know that was not the case.

[effortlessproductions]

I respect that they decided to keep the crews’ safety in mind as the top priority, that’s very commendable

[SomeoneCommenting]

You have to admit that this was one of the luckiest drone inspections in history. They were right there, at the right moment, pointing the cameras in the precise point of failure. This is precious footage for investigations and to show how this kind of failure happens in real life.

[GammaCatch]

-"For England, James?"
-"No, for Me."

[kermitefrog]

I have been to Arecibo twice. There were a number of objects including comets that were studied. It was very impressive.

[j.w.grayson]

In early 2000's I was involved in the SETI project, thus I was well aware of Arecibo. When we visited PR for a cruise arond 2015, we went in a few days early and took a tour of the facility. It was very impressive!

[malvoliosf]

From Grady’s description of the situation, the question in my mind is not “why did it fall?” but “how on Earth did it stay up as long as it did?” Low safety margins, unique design, constant exposure to salt air and tropical sun, frequent hurricanes, and in at least one case, shoddy workmanship. It seems that receiver was staying up there mostly from force of habit.

[crispay]

“What really happened?” Simple, a Recon player over the course of 10 minutes placed and demolished each of the supporting wires using his C4

[yonason]

I was surprised and disappointed when it happened, but was unable to find info on why it had or if there were plans to rebuild. You’ve not only supplied that, but provided backstory as well. Interesting how satisfying a thorough analysis of an event like this can be. Even more satisfying to hear that lives were not wasted by taking unacceptable risks. Very nicely done video. Thanks.

[graemeroberts]

Your commentary is so precise and scrupulously honest, Grady. Your values are in themselves a great inspiration and example to up and coming engineers. Thank you!

[snafubar]

"These steel cables were installed 70 years ago, they are perfectly safe."

As someone who worked in preventative maintenance for a decade, I don't trust anything that hasn't had a major inspection or overhaul after X amount of hours, let alone DECADES.

[dvoicer]

Man, props to the engineers who got those excellent shots of the telescope failing. I mean, it's sad and all, but at least the shots are really cool, because we get to see it failing it really great detail.

[TheCtrumbo]

I’ve been fascinated with the structure since Golden Eye. Sad to see go, awesome it was captured on film at the moment of failure.