Please Save Arecibo

Related Issues: Defense Policy , Science / Technology

Tags: science , research , arecibo , s2862 , telescope

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Tuesday, 07/08/2008 @ 02:58 PM

To whom it may concern:

I am writing to urge you to co-sponsor Senate Bill S. 2862 which directs the National Science Foundation to fully fund the Arecibo Observatory which is currently threatened with closure. Numerous reasons exist to justify continued funding for this essential facility.

As the largest radio telescope in the world, the Arecibo Observatory is an important asset to America's scientific and technological communities. No other radio telescope comes close to the sensitivity that the Arecibo telescope has.
Not until the year 2020 will any other telescope even have a chance to surpass Arecibo. If the Square Kilometer Array (to be located in South Africa or Australia) gets all of its funding on time, a decade-long gap without the use of Arecibo (or any comparable telescope) will still plague astronomic, planetary, and atmospheric research.
Only Arecibo's planetary radar can image and determine exact trajectories of potentially threatening asteroids. This makes Arecibo the best tool for investigating Near Earth Objects and warning the world about possible asteroid threats.
Radio technologies developed for the Arecibo telescope strengthen the U.S. competitive edge in the global marketplace. Ionospheric radio wave propagation studies conducted at Arecibo form an important component of space technologies, from communications satellites to the Global Positioning System (GPS).
Arecibo benefits education. Many of our next generation of scientists and engineers receive training at the Arecibo Observatory.
Arecibo captures the public imagination. Over 120,000 people per year visit this technical wonder while millions more contribute to scientific projects conducted with this telescope. Over 5 million participants have contributed to SETI@home -- the world's largest public participation science project.
The citizens of the United States, especially those in Puerto Rico, and the scientific community look at Arecibo with pride. The Observatory represents a commitment to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and a major asset to the world scientific community.

I urge you to support S. 2862 to ensure Arecibo Observatory will continue its vital contributions to all of these important scientific and humanitarian missions.

Sincerely,

drush

Total Comments: 18

Write your own comment on this letter!

	JDog, on 07/08/2008 @ 03:30 PM wrote:
		Great letter drush. I'm going to forward this on to my politicians!

	wolverine, on 07/08/2008 @ 08:25 PM wrote:
		Wow, what a great treasure that really has been kept under wraps. I really would like to urge anyone who reads this to send this on to their respective representatives, as I am.

	MCarey64, on 07/09/2008 @ 12:47 PM wrote:
		I think not funding any furthur scientific ventures would put our nation behind in many ways. I find it most interesting that so many people have participated in this project -- thats awesome!

	Maria, on 07/10/2008 @ 11:01 AM wrote:
		As an engineer, I feel it's imperitive the US keeps a competitive edge in research and development in the math and sciences. I'm going to send this one to my reps.

	tinara1977, on 07/11/2008 @ 07:47 AM wrote:
		I will absolutely send this letter on and support it. I can not believe they want to not fund this.

	Shaebutter, on 07/12/2008 @ 10:03 AM wrote:
		This is another example of our officaials making important thing the last thing on a priority list. The observatory is important to the science commuity as well as the public. Not only is it historical but to science education as well.

	Shaebutter, on 07/12/2008 @ 10:03 AM wrote:
		This is another example of our officaials making important thing the last thing on a priority list. The observatory is important to the science commuity as well as the public. Not only is it historical but to science education as well.

	DanDannoodle, on 07/13/2008 @ 11:57 AM wrote:
		Absolutely in agreement. There are plenty of other things to cut out of our budget; we shouldn't close something that is actively contributing to science.

	ctmontecrsto, on 07/16/2008 @ 01:16 PM wrote:
		I cant beleive they dont want to continue this. I was amazed about this telescope. I had no idea. For the security of this planet, it is imperative that we keep this project alive.

	jolietjake1, on 07/17/2008 @ 01:33 AM wrote:
		Arecibo is one of our greatest tools for scientific discovery, and with full funding, could become one of the greatest laboratories in the world.

	laulena25, on 07/17/2008 @ 01:28 PM wrote:
		This is pretty incredible. I dont see why anyone wouldnt forward this letter.

	jojodewees, on 07/17/2008 @ 10:12 PM wrote:
		As uneducated as it sounds, perhaps they need to watch the movies Armagaeddon and Deep Impact. While those are works of fiction, they still show the possiblity of the asteroid hitting the earth scenario. Does anyone know why they want to shut it down? I support keeping it open as well.

	breams44277, on 07/20/2008 @ 11:08 PM wrote:
		I think that anything that furthers our understanding of not only our planet, but also the solar system and universe, is worth saving. This was a very clear, reasoned, and passionate letter about a project that deserves our support.

	jessforturk, on 09/14/2008 @ 07:55 PM wrote:
		Before reading this, I was completely unaware of the Arecibo Observatory. I thank you for bringing the issue to my attention and promise that I will contact my representives to encourage them to support S. 2862. :)

	algoan, on 10/21/2008 @ 01:15 PM wrote:
		Thank you for bringing this issue to my attention. I look forward to learning more about the project.

	haleyreamer, on 10/21/2008 @ 04:41 PM wrote:
		Hooray for you! I am so saddened to hear when important scientific places - such as Arecibo - are threatened. It's awful.

	cweaver, on 12/20/2008 @ 12:45 PM wrote:
		How has Arecibo ever helped me? How could it ever help me? The answer to the first is it hasn't and the second is it probably won't. This sounds to me like another special-interest group trying to keep their way of life. And SETI? Seriously? The distributed computing project that looks for aliens? You're not going to find them. If you want your computer to really do something useful with it's extra CPU cycles, try getting getting Folding at Home. At least it's made some progress, and it has a little bit more practical of a goal than finding aliens light years away.

	mars7, on 03/08/2009 @ 09:36 PM wrote:
		This is a really good letter. Arecibo is an amazing instrument, which like the Keck observatories in HI, can be upgraded, changed, modified, and improved, far into the future. So not only in Arecibo an incredible one-of-a-kind facility, it is upgradable and deserves to continue producing outstanding science!