In August, that changed, as one of the thick cables supporting the 900-ton platform slipped out of its socket and fell through the dish, leaving a gash in the delicate panels. But for a while, the facility still seemed like it would be fine. In early 2020, a spate of earthquakes rocked the island, temporarily closing the observatory. The telescope's troubles began in 2017, when Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico, although the observatory suffered little damage. Méndez called that enough to keep the lights on, but not a budget to support research. According to the Associated Press, the NSF also intends to provide the observatory with a five-year maintenance contract worth at least $1 million each year. NSF's program solicitation for the new science center notes that the agency expects to provide $5 million over a five-year period. The current plan is to focus on education and outreach." "Repairing the current dish or re-building a new facility in its place is a very large investment that requires careful review and analysis. "NSF currently has no plans to re-build the primary 305-meter reflector," an NSF spokesperson told. The statement's discussion of the science facilities at Arecibo is minimal, although it does note that teams who want funding to use the existing instruments or build new ones can "can submit proposals that are complementary to the scope of the new center." "The center would expand upon existing education and outreach opportunities currently in place at the Arecibo Observatory site, while also implementing new STEM programs and initiatives." 13 for a new multidisciplinary, world-class educational center at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico that aims to serve as a hub for STEM education and outreach," officials wrote in the statement. National Science Foundation issued a solicitation Oct. The observatory is also home to the Ángel Ramos Foundation Science and Visitor Center, which opened in 1997. Instead, the NSF intends to build on the observatory's legacy as a key educational institution in Puerto Rico by transforming the site into a hub for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, due to open in 2023, according to a statement.
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