Scientists, students demand action to keep Arecibo radio telescope operating

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. Here's something else that may be pertinent.

Telescopes can become obsolete. Sometimes they are formally decommissioned, sometimes they can be rebuilt or upgraded in some way.

I went to the adult astronomy camp through the University of Arizona several years ago. We got to operate a 60 inch telescope which was beyond cool. Apparently it was used to help find landing sites on the moon for the Apollo missions. But even by 2013, when I went there, it was hardly being used by regular astronomers. Which met it was readily available for both adult and teen astronomy camps.

I am not suggesting that Arecibo is at all obsolete. And it seems as if its radar function is needed. Maybe at some not to distant future point it will be repaired or rebuilt.