Wanda Vázquez is allocating $ 8 million for the reconstruction of the Arecibo radio telescope

Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced on Monday announced the allocation of $ 8 million for the reconstruction and eventual operation of the Arecibo Observatory.

By executive order, the governor allocated the money and also declared the historical area of ​​the observatory.

The executive order states that the reconstruction of the observatory is part of the public policy of the government of Puerto Rico.

“The Government of Puerto Rico is convinced that the collapse of the radio telescope brings a great opportunity to redesign it, taking into account the lessons learned and the recommendations of the scientific community, so that it is relevant for decades,” Vázquez Garced told a news conference. . offered through the official La Fortaleza website.

He said the budget should cover the removal and disposal of rubble and the design of the new radio telescope.

The observer’s telescope crashed on December 1.

“For 57 years, this world-renowned facility has functioned as a research unit with the capacity for scientific discovery,” the governor said.

During the announcement, the governor was accompanied by the director of the observatory, Francisco Córdova; Gerardo Morrell, director of physics at the University of Puerto Rico and Carlos Padín, professor of science.