Gregorian Upgrade Project Executive, Dr. Donald Campbell.
NAIC/AO Newsletter, July 1997
ARECIBO, Puerto Rico -- Calling Arecibo Observatory a "new star born today," Pedro Rosselló Governor of Puerto Rico, joined scientists, administrators, guests and staff members on June 14 in dedicating radio astronomy's newest star -- an upgraded Arecibo Observatory, the world's largest radio/radar telescope.
At the rim of the giant, 1,000-foot dish antenna, under tropical skies with dark gray Caribbean clouds buffeted by swift trade winds, the $27 million upgrade to Arecibo Observatory was celebrated as a triumph of technology, government-university-industry cooperation and the successful fusing of basic research and education.
"We, the people of Puerto Rico, welcome this magnificent resource," Gov. Rosselló told a crowd of about 300 invited guests and dignitaries. It reminds people that Puerto Rico is a state-of-the art society. We welcome the extraordinary opportunity that this observatory offers to Puerto Rican students and teachers. And we are grateful to the personnel of the observatory for their willingness in cooperating with us in achieving this result."
The telescope, with its 90-ton, 86-foot diameter dome attached to the end of the 304-feet moveable azimuth arm looming above the crowd, now has increased sensitivity and power to observe the farthest reaches of the universe, including pulsars, quasars and other exotic objects, the solar system as well as Earth's own upper atmosphere, opening the door to a new era of astrophysics and astronomy. It is the world's largest, most powerful and most sensitive radio telescope made more powerful and sensitive.
Neal Lane, director of the National Science Foundation, which, with NASA, funded the upgrade, said the success of the Arecibo telescope illustrates how partnerships should work.
"The Arecibo upgrade is the product of many proud parents," he said, among them -- NSF, NASA, Cornell and the people and government of Puerto Rico. As a result, "every scientist will continue to be on the forefront of society," he said. "This telescope will enable researchers to build on a heritage of scientific discovery. Arecibo blends research efforts in atmospheric and space sciences and research and education, unmatched anywhere in the world. And with the new visitors center, which already is so successful, clearly Arecibo will continue to bring lasting benefit to the people of Puerto Rico."
Cornell President Hunter Rawlings affirmed Cornell's commitment to Arecibo Observatory. "I want to underline Cornell's long-standing commitment to managing the facility, and we're committed to Puerto Rico -- the people who work here and use Arecibo Observatory. Cornell is proud to play such a significant role in this facility."
Calling it a "monument to man's curiosity, a testimony to the best our generation has to offer," Daniel Altschuler, director of the Arecibo Observatory, formally welcomed the improvements and told the crowd what to expect when scientists begin to use fully the new instrument.
He said scientists were surprised soon after the facility was first built 34 years ago to find that the rotation rate of Mercury was not what they had thought. They were surprised in 1974 to find binary pulsars. They were surprised yet again in 1991 to find planets around a pulsar. Then scientists found ice on the polar caps of Mercury, another surprising result, he said.
"Much has been written about what we expect to find with the new power provided by this upgrade; however, the most exciting things that lie ahead I cannot tell you about. As in all of science and especially in astronomy, the most exciting discoveries are those which catch us by surprise. And so, my wish for this born-again telescope is: may it give us a lot of surprises," Altschuler said.
Paul Goldsmith, director of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center and Cornell professor of astronomy, recognized William Gordon, former Cornell professor of electrical engineering, who conceived of the idea of the Arecibo Observatory and recognized the potential for a giant dish in a sinkhole in the karst hills of what was then a coffee plantation in northeast Puerto Rico, just south of the town of Arecibo.
Gregorian Upgrade Project Executive, Dr. Donald Campbell.
Donald Campbell, associate director of NAIC, named many of the people who made the upgrade possible, but found it impossible to name them all in his time allotment. But he said that Tor Hagfors, former NAIC director now at the Max Planck Institute in Germany, really is the "father of the upgrade."
The upgrade -- consisting of the Gregorian reflectors, a 50-foot high steel mesh ground screen to reduce noise at high zenith angles, and a doubling to 1 million watts of the power of the radar transmitter -- was funded by the NSF and NASA, with contributions by Cornell. Begun in 1992, it increases the sensitivity for studies of the universe by a factor of about three and studies of the solar system by a factor of about 20.
"I first want to thank Cornell University, who have been outstanding managers over the last 25 years. The staff is visionary," said Hugh Van Horn, director of the Division of Astronomical Sciences at the NSF. "We are truly witnessing the renaissance of Arecibo Observatory. Congratulations to all of you who have made this dream a reality."
Carmen Pantoja, astronomer at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Mass., and an Arecibo user who is studying the large-scale structure of the universe, described growing up in Puerto Rico and being mystified by the giant radio telescope. Pantoja is Puerto Rico's first woman radio astronomer.
"My first contact with Arecibo was with my parents, and I remember how mysterious it all seemed," she said. "That is why I am glad to see the Visitors Center. "I know how helpful it will be."
Harold Theiss, former NASA chief engineer who was integral to securing funding for the radar transmitter, described the effort to fund the upgrade. "You know in Washington, it's a jungle. We got the ground screen approved pretty easily. The radar was a lot more difficult. We didn't get it through the first time, but astronomers are a patient lot who measure time in millions of years. Arecibo is a wonderful success story of government, university and private individuals working together."
Another scientist to address the crowd, Joseph Taylor of Princeton University, who won the Nobel Prize in 1993 for co-discovering in 1974 the first binary pulsar using Arecibo, said the facility was responsible for many "firsts": the first to measure the rotation rate of a pulsar associated with a supernova explosion; first to measure the slowing down of a pulsar; the first discovery of a binary pulsar, a millisecond pulsar, an eclipsing pulsar, the first mass of a neutron star, and more.
"Arecibo," Taylor said, "has created a whole sub field of astrophysics."
Frank Drake, former director of Arecibo Observatory and the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center at Cornell, now director of the SETI Institute in California, e-mailed a congratulatory message from his hospital bed where he is recuperating from surgery. Jill Tarter, director of the institute's Project Phoenix, read his message to the crowd.
"Most great new telescopes burst upon the scene, then shine in the world of astronomy until they are eclipsed by even more powerful instruments," Drake wrote. "They live bright lives for but a limited time. The Arecibo telescope is unique. It has been by far the most powerful telescope of its kind for more than 30 years. Rather than a single brilliant life, it has now had two such lives. Today it embarks on its third life, far more powerful and preeminent than ever... There are all those great discoveries waiting to be made, and Arecibo is the best telescope to make them. Congratulations to you all."
Finally, Goldsmith, NAIC director, held up a bottle of champagne to "christen" the new instrument, but promised not to shatter the bottle on the reflecting dish. And lunch was served as scientists, staff and visitors feted the newest astronomical star.
Photos by José Maldonado and Frank DiMeo