Arecibo gets $12.3 million NSF grant
The National Science Foundation has awarded the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rica a $12.3 million grant to pay for needed repairs and upgrades following the hurricane damage from 2017.
The money will pay for the following work:
- Repairing one of the suspension cables holding the primary telescope platform, ensuring long-term structural integrity of one of the main structural elements of the telescope.
- Recalibrating the primary reflector, which will restore the observatory’s sensitivity at higher frequencies.
- Aligning the Gregorian Reflector, improving current calibration and pointing.
- Installing a new control system for S band radar, which is part of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum.
- Replacing the modulator on the 430 MHz transmitter, increasing consistency of power output and data quality.
- Improving the telescope’s pointing controls and data tracking systems.
Most of this looks to be very basic maintenance, which suggests the telescope is still very starved for funds.
From the press release: From the moment he is handed a possibility of making the first alien contact, Saunders Maxwell decides he will do it, even if doing so takes him through hell and back.
Unfortunately, that is exactly where that journey takes him.
The vision that Zimmerman paints of vibrant human colonies on the Moon, Mars, the asteroids, and beyond, indomitably fighting the harsh lifeless environment of space to build new societies, captures perfectly the emerging space race we see today.
He also captures in Pioneer the heart of the human spirit, willing to push forward no matter the odds, no matter the cost. It is that spirit that will make the exploration of the heavens possible, forever, into the never-ending future.
Available everywhere for $3.99 (before discount) at amazon, Barnes & Noble, all ebook vendors, or direct from the ebook publisher, ebookit.
And if you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and I get a bigger cut much sooner.
The National Science Foundation has awarded the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rica a $12.3 million grant to pay for needed repairs and upgrades following the hurricane damage from 2017.
The money will pay for the following work:
- Repairing one of the suspension cables holding the primary telescope platform, ensuring long-term structural integrity of one of the main structural elements of the telescope.
- Recalibrating the primary reflector, which will restore the observatory’s sensitivity at higher frequencies.
- Aligning the Gregorian Reflector, improving current calibration and pointing.
- Installing a new control system for S band radar, which is part of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum.
- Replacing the modulator on the 430 MHz transmitter, increasing consistency of power output and data quality.
- Improving the telescope’s pointing controls and data tracking systems.
Most of this looks to be very basic maintenance, which suggests the telescope is still very starved for funds.
From the press release: From the moment he is handed a possibility of making the first alien contact, Saunders Maxwell decides he will do it, even if doing so takes him through hell and back.
Unfortunately, that is exactly where that journey takes him. The vision that Zimmerman paints of vibrant human colonies on the Moon, Mars, the asteroids, and beyond, indomitably fighting the harsh lifeless environment of space to build new societies, captures perfectly the emerging space race we see today. He also captures in Pioneer the heart of the human spirit, willing to push forward no matter the odds, no matter the cost. It is that spirit that will make the exploration of the heavens possible, forever, into the never-ending future. Available everywhere for $3.99 (before discount) at amazon, Barnes & Noble, all ebook vendors, or direct from the ebook publisher, ebookit. And if you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and I get a bigger cut much sooner.
Sad, but the NSF needs the money to study Climate Change ™, not outer space.