Following cable breaks that have brought the 57-year-old facility to the brink of collapse, the Arecibo Observatory will be demolished, officials at the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced on 19 November. The giant radio dish saw plenty of fame over the years. It was the first to detect evidence for gravitational waves, the first to peer through Venus9s thick clouds, and the first to detect exoplanets. NSF officials says Arecibo is now so fragile that attempting repairs would put staff and workers in danger. The agency wants to preserve other instruments at the site, as well as the popular visitor9s center. But they could be damaged if the 900-ton instrument platform comes crashing down. Over the next few weeks, engineers will plan for a controlled dismantling beginning in the spring, which will likely involve an explosive release of the platform from its cables.

中文翻译：

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阿雷西博射电望远镜即将退役

美国国家科学基金会 (NSF) 的官员于 11 月 19 日宣布，在电缆断裂导致这座拥有 57 年历史的设施濒临崩溃之后，阿雷西博天文台将被拆除。多年来，巨大的无线电天线广为人知。它是第一个探测到引力波证据的，第一个穿过金星厚厚的云层，第一个探测到系外行星。NSF 官员说，阿雷西博现在非常脆弱，试图修理会使员工和工人处于危险之中。该机构希望保留现场的其他乐器以及受欢迎的游客中心。但是，如果 900 吨重的仪器平台崩溃，它们可能会损坏。在接下来的几周内，工程师将计划从春季开始进行受控拆除，