One of the three main support towers broke in half last night, sending the entire Receiving Platform down into the reflector.
You can see the failed tower to the lower left of the photo.
This is the Receiving Platform before it fell.
The remains of the dome can be seen resting on the reflector in the top photo, just left of bottom center.
Rest In Pieces.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit surprised they just let it collapse. It should have been taken care of better, but I guess they used the money for some other shiny new thing....
DeleteUsed to ride past almost every day when mt Battalion was deployed to Roosey Roads in the 80's
ReplyDeleteWas always tempted to throw a full coke can out the window to see if i could hit it.
HAH!
DeleteIt was that close to the highway?
IIRR - the road was above it and you could look down on it.
DeleteIt's been over 25 years.
BOMBS AWAY!!
DeleteCheapskates gonna cheapskate. It would have made such a skate park.
ReplyDeleteGood place to run R/C cars, too!
DeleteGreat Velodrome!
DeleteOr world's largest Rollerderby rink!
More likely a small fortune for the company that scraps it out....
DeleteThere's no smelter within economic range to scrap it. Most likely they'll just cut it up and pile it.
DeleteProbably all wind up as housing materials like in Brazil...
DeleteThat is sad.
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is that they've known it needed some serious maintenance for the last 5~10 years! They just let it deteriorate until it fell apart. An ignominious fate for a valuable scientific instrument that made many discoveries.
DeletePuerto Rico... sigh
ReplyDeleteAll I know about PR is what I learned doing "West Side Story" in high-school.
DeleteBut I've heard it's pretty 3rd world.....
It is! My nephew, who serves in a construction battalion, said it was as dangerous as Iraq. Except you weren't allowed to shoot anybody.
DeleteSame corruption. Same stupidity. And, yes, even to being randomly shot at.
Gee....I'll bet they all vote Democrat!
Delete