A new Arecibo telescope and radar could help defend our planet

We are coming up on the second anniversary of the destruction of the iconic 1,000-foot  telescope/radar at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. For nearly six decades, the Arecibo Observatory was a prime scientific facility that carried out cutting-edge investigations, illuminating our understanding of the universe, solar system and Earth’s atmosphere. The research included Nobel prize-winning science, awe-inspiring discoveries of our cosmos, and studies essential for the protection of our planet from hazardous asteroids.

Soon after the telescope’s collapse, a petition to the White House to rebuild it, started by Puerto Rican students, gathered more than 100,000 signatures in four weeks. Scientists mourned the telescope’s demise and soon after started advocating for the construction of a new one. The Senate, in a rare form of bipartisanship, unanimously passed a resolution that recognized the immense scientific, educational and economic value of the telescope, and encouraged federal agencies “to study means of replacing the scientific capabilities that were lost … utilizing new state-of-the-art technologies at the site.” No other telescope has received so much support from such a wide-range of stakeholders — from the local community to scientists to federal lawmakers.  

Yet, last month, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the federal agency in charge of the observatory, decided that the focus of this facility should not be research and that, instead, it should become a STEM education center. The observatory includes a number of instruments that are operational and scientists continue to conduct exciting research with them. Unfortunately, not only has the NSF decided not to rebuild the radio telescope but funds for the new STEM education center at Arecibo will not include support for ongoing research at the site. 

As many have indicated, a STEM education without scientists conducting research and without students being able to obtain hands-on experience with state-of-the-art research instruments will be of limited value. Congress and the NSF should affirm science as the Arecibo Observatory’s primary mission, with a world-class STEM education center inspired by that mission — not one that replaces it. Funding for the existing instruments and research should continue while a new telescope is built.

The misconception among some that the Arecibo Observatory was past its prime, conducting outdated and unimportant research, is far from the truth. Thanks to two major upgrades throughout its life, and a series of new instruments, the observatory had been at the forefront of astronomical, planetary and atmospheric studies. Grants awarded before the collapse totaled more than $20 million for new instruments, and new research and education programs at the observatory indicate that this facility was set to continue conducting impactful science for many years (if not decades) to come. 

Moreover, recent reports from National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine indicated that the Arecibo telescope and radar were essential for addressing several of the high-priority science questions of the next decade. Scientists are advocating for a new, modern, Arecibo telescope/radar not out of sentimentality or nostalgia, but because such an instrument is needed for understanding our universe and protecting our planet. 

But decisions about science facilities are not governed solely by their scientific value. They can be influenced by their economic worth and their benefit to society. In their Vision 2030, the National Science Board (NSB), which establishes the policies of the NSF and advises Congress and the president on issues related to science, called for the U.S. to  “strategically build science and engineering infrastructure and capacity in the nation’s underserved areas and institutions, while retaining excellence and capacity where it already exists.”  

Closing the research facilities at the Arecibo Observatory will be in direct opposition to the NSB’s recommendation for expanding the geography of innovation. Moreover, one of the major goals of the recently passed CHIPS and Science Act is to “expand the geographic and institutional diversity of research institutions and the students and researchers they serve.” This act emphasizes the importance of a diverse STEM workforce, one that represents the diversity of the U.S. population. A new Arecibo telescope would provide invaluable hands-on experience to students, teachers and researchers from Puerto Rico and beyond, and inspire many underrepresented minorities to pursue careers in STEM, just as the legacy telescope once did. 

A new Arecibo telescope should go beyond just inspiring and training students. Involving the local engineering community in the telescope’s design and allocating a small percentage of the facility’s time for the exclusive use of research projects conducted by the local scientific community would help promote the growth of a strong science and engineering community in Puerto Rico, which in turn could help boost the economy of the region. This is what happened in Chile, where telescopes built by European and North Americans there provide about 10 percent of their time to Chilean scientists, advancing the growth of the scientific community in Chile, as well as its economy.

A new Arecibo telescope/radar would not only allow us to explore and understand our universe, it also could help defend our planet. It would help in diversifying science and would also be in line with recent science policy and laws. 

Héctor G. Arce is a professor in the Department of Astronomy at Yale University, the outgoing board chair of the Arecibo Science Advocacy Partnership, and a Public Voices Fellow through the OpEd Project.