Arecibo Observatory under threat of closure
Washington Post: Arecibo Observatory, the largest and most sensitive radio telescope on Earth is in trouble. The National Science Foundation, which has long funded the dish, has told the Cornell University-operated facility that it will have to close if it cannot find outside sources for half of its already reduced $8 million budget in the next three years -- an ultimatum that has sent ripples of despair through the scientific community.
The squeeze is part of a larger effort to free up money for new ventures in astronomy -- projects that even Arecibo's depressed staff agrees ought to be launched. But many astronomers blame politics for the budget cuts. They note that major observatories in the US, such as in New Mexico and West Virginia, get protection from major budget cuts from their senators. Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the United States, has no senators. And its representative in the House, Resident Commissioner Luis G. Fortuno (R), does not have a vote. "That makes a big difference," Fortuno tells the Washington Post.
