The telescope was in operation for 57 years until August, and scientists had lobbied the NSF to reverse its decision to close the site.
"The loss of the Arecibo telescope is a big loss for the world, but it is more of a loss for Puerto Rico. "Many students are trained in astronomy in the observatory, they are inspired like me to do a career in science and astronomy," he said. The telescope was one of the largest in the world and has been a tool for many astronomical discoveries since the 1960s, as well as being famous for its dramatic scale and setting.Īn action scene from the Bond film "GoldenEye" featuring Pierce Brosnan took place high above the dish, and "Contact" an astronomer played by Jodie Foster used the observatory in her quest for alien signals.Ībel Mendez, director of the Planetary Habitability Laboratory at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo, said the platform fell some time before 8:00am (1200 GMT), describing it as "a total disaster."
"We can confirm the platform fell and that we have reports of no injuries," Rob Margetta, spokesman for the NSF, told AFP. Photographs showed clouds of dust rising into the air and the remains of the telescope instruments scattered across the site.
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