Shocking video released Thursday shows the moment the iconic Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico plunged 400 feet into a huge dish when its cables snapped.
The large telescope — which had been used for astronomical discoveries and even led to Nobel Peace Prize-winning research — fell apart when its three support towers broke Tuesday morning.
Video released by the National Science Foundation shows the observatory’s platform crashing down into to the dish antenna while the support towers and cables snapped, causing debris to disperse everywhere.
The 900-ton telescope was already damaged and had been scheduled for demolition after two cables broke in August and November.
Scientists and students from all over the world used the 57-year-old telescope for research purposes, including research that won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1993.
Ángel Vázquez, the observatory’s director of telescope operations, says he was in the control room area removing expensive equipment from the facility Tuesday morning when he heard a loud bang.
“When we looked outside the control room, we started to see the eventual downfall of the observatory,” Vázquez said, adding that strands of cables had been unraveling in recent days and increasing strain on the platform.
“This whole process took 30 seconds,” Vázquez said, “and an unfortunate icon in radio astronomy was done.”
The Arecibo Observatory was completed in 1963, and its powerful capabilities attracted researchers chasing breakthroughs in radio astronomy and atmospheric science.
It was used to detect the first binary pulsar, discover gravitational waves in space and search for potentially habitable planets in other galaxies.
The Observatory has also been a source of inspiration on the silver screen, staring alongside Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond and Jodie Foster in the films ‘GoldenEye’ and ‘Contact.’
In 1974, it was used to beam a “Hello, world” message into space, to communicate with extra terrestrial life.
Before the collapse, members of Congress and the scientific community lobbied for the observatory to be saved.
Now, many are pushing for the rebuilding of the structure — but this could take some time.
“With regards to replacement, NSF has a very well-defined process for funding and constructing large-scale infrastructure, including telescopes,” said Ralph Gaume, director of NSF’s Division of Astronomical Sciences.
“It’s a multi-year process that involves congressional appropriations and the assessment and needs of the scientific community. So, it’s very early for us to comment on the replacement.”
No injuries were reported in the crash.