Illustrative Appendix :

Incident in the Green Bank Observatory, West Virginia (USA) - November, 1988 -

Articles published in the U.S. press

This is a compilation of small articles published by the U.S. print media right after the incident, in November 1988. (Source : Newslibrary.com) - In a question of days, practically nobody ever talked about the incident again.

November 17, 1988 - The Philadelphia Inquirer (PA)

TELESCOPE'S 300-FOOT DISH COLLAPSES

"One of the world's largest and most important radio telescopes collapsed into pieces Tuesday night, halting work by 150 researchers from more than 40 universities and other laboratories. As a consequence of the collapse, radio sources from distant stars and galaxies in a large part of the northern sky are going unmonitored for one of the few times in 26 years. The 300-foot dish crashed to the ground about 10 p.m. as it was being used to search the Northern Hemisphere for quasars and galaxies. (...)"

November 17, 1988 - Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA)

RADIOTELESCOPE COLLAPSES

"THE ASSOCIATED PRESS - Wesley Sizemore, a worker at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, W.Va., photographs the debris that used to be a 300-foot-diameter radiotelescope (right). The structure mysteriously collapsed Tuesday night in good weather. The telescope was described as a total loss. Built in 1962, the dish antenna was responsible for several major discoveries in astronomy. (...)"

A SETBACK FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY

(reproducing article from "The New York Times")

"In a mysterious accident that may have set back astronomical research by years, a 300-foot radiotelescope collapsed Tuesday night in a tangle of twisted metal girders. The instrument, operated by the government's National Radio Astronomy Observatory, was one of the most powerful radiotelescopes in the world. (...) Dr. George Seiestald, assistant director of the observatory, said the collapse occurred without warning about 10 p.m. Tuesday while the telescope was in operation. No one was injured".

November 17, 1988 - Akron Beacon Journal (OH)

COLLAPSE OF HUGE TELESCOPE IS LOSS TO SCIENCE

"One of the world's biggest radiotelescopes collapsed in what an astronomer lamented as a 'major blow' to science. The 26-year-old instrument, an antenna dish the size of a football field in diameter, gave way late Tuesday, while a staffer was using it, said George Seielstad, assistant director for Green Bank operations at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Absolutely nobody was hurt, but the telescope itself is beyond repair and there was damage to the control room from which the telescope is operated (...)".

November 22, 1988 - Detroit Free Press (MI)

COLLAPSED SCOPE WAS A KEY EYE ON THE SKY

"When the giant radiotelescope at Green Bank, W. Va., collapsed into a tangle of twisted metal last week, a cornerstone of astronomy was reduced to rubble. "We've lost our biggest radio eye that we can point to anywhere in the sky", said Andrew Fraknoi, executive officer of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Fraknoi called the loss "a shock and a tragedy of first proportions".

"The device (...) was the only one of its size that could be turned to pick up signals from any part of the sky", Fraknoi said. "Its size, as well as its maneuverability, was a plus (...)". Radiotelescopes are an important complement to optical (light-gathering) telescopes and other astronomical tools, Fraknoi said. (...)".

November 17, 1988 - The Orange County Register (CA)

TELESCOPE COLLAPSE MOURNED - SCIENTISTS SAY LOSS PIVOTAL TO RESEARCH

(Malcom W. Browne - The New York Times)

"In a mysterious accident that may have set back astronomical research by years, the 300-foot radiotelescope at Green Bank, W.Va., collapsed late Tuesday in a tangle of twisted metal girders. The instrument, operated by the government's National Radio Astronomy Observatory, was one of the most powerful radiotelescopes in the world.(...)"

Seielstad said the loss of the telescope would set back research for years. "Astronomers used that telescope as a screening instrument for rapidly searching large areas of sky for objects of interest", he said. "Having found an important object, we could then study it in more detail, using different types of radiotelescopes and optical telescopes". (...)

November 17, 1988 - The Arizona Republic (AZ)

KEY U.S. RADIOTELESCOPE IS DESTROYED - DEVICE HELPED PIONEER STUDY OF UNIVERSE

"A 300-foot radiotelescope, the first of its kind and a key tool in pioneering the modern study of the universe, crashed to the ground at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, officials said Wednesday. The huge, dish-shapped telescope was destroyed when the two towers holding it up collapsed Tuesday about 10 p.m. The telescope was in operation at the time of the collapse. A control building also was damaged in the crash, said officials at the Deercreek Valley Observatory (...)"

November 17, 1988 - The Miami Herald (FL)

TELESCOPE COLLAPSE

"A worker takes pictures of the wreckage after a radio telescope, with a dish the size of a football field, collapsed Tuesday at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, W.Va.. Scientists at the observatory, who said the telescope was capable of covering the entire northern sky and picking up naturally emitted radio signals from space, called the collapse a 'major blow' to astronomy." [full article]

November 17, 1988 - Philadelphia Daily News (PA)

TELESCOPE COLLAPSE CALLED BLOW TO SCIENCE

"The collapse of one of the world's largest radiotelescopes sent reverberations through the scientific community and will affect a long list of research proposals, officials said. "It's a major blow. There's no way to deny that", said George Seielstad, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's assistant director for Green Bank operations. The dish, capable of listening to sounds 10 billion light years away, crashed to ground here Tuesday night. A night-shift operator escaped unharmed.(...)"

Additional news :

"NASA on Monday unveiled an ambitious blueprint that could establish a manned lunar observatory, put astronauts on the Martian moon Phobos or send them to the red planet itself (...)"

"Investigators probing the collapse of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory radio telescope at Green Bank still don't know why it happened. 'Obviously some kind of catastrophic mechanical failure occurred', said Dr. Laura Bautz, director of the division of astronomical sciences at the National Science Foundation's Washington, D.C., headquarters.(...) 'It's really strange that this mechanical system should have failed in perfect weather and no earth tremors', said Bautz".

See a picture of the telescope as it was before the happenings. In the sequence, take a look at the pictures of the scope after this event. A picture says more than a thousand words.

After viewing the pictures, perhaps some of you may be thinking now : "What kind of "catastrophic mechanical failure" transforms a giant telescope or any other metallic structure like this into "a tangle of twisted metal girders" like this ? A collision between two trains at 100 mph ? A car crushed by a trash compactor ? A huge invisible force coming from a Martian spaceship ? Something else ?"

That's it. Whatever is your answer, Martians are certainly not worried about your conclusion.

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