20 points ohjeez 1 day ago 7 comments

snypher 1 day ago | parent

(2024). Here's the report 'Failure Analysis of the Arecibo Observatory 305-Meter Telescope Collapse'

https://www.nationalacademies.org/read/26982/chapter/1#vi

jacquesm 39 minutes ago | parent

This is the better link. The meat is on page 2.

metalman 16 hours ago | parent

not good, not good at all, as this is how ALL bridges and towers are supported, the basic engineering bieng that any cable end will be stronger than the cable itself and will last longer than the cable itself, except now, when it isn't, not good, not easy to inspect, not easy to service.

sanex 1 hour ago | parent

Bridges probably shouldn't be subject to the same electromagnetic radiation that gets focused by the telescope though so ideally not a problem there.

msandford 56 minutes ago | parent

They also mentioned that this is the first example of the unknown phenomena that caused the creep. This technology has been in use quite successfully for more than 100 years.

ceejayoz 21 minutes ago | parent

> Long-term low-current electroplasticity, induced by the electromagnetic waves from the Arecibo telescope itself, may have sped up the zinc creep, it says.

I presume we aren't using most bridges as interstellar antennas.

xattt 10 minutes ago | parent

That’s what the government (… and most rational people) wants you to think.