Preliminary investigation offers possible cause of Arecibo Observatory telescope collapse

By Meghan Bartels 2 days ago

    

An image of Arecibo Observatory's iconic radio telescope before damage that began in August 2020; the curved azimuth arm and the dome suspended from it are both visible.

(Image: © University of Central Florida)

An ongoing investigation of the December collapse of the iconic radio telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico offers early evidence that a manufacturing issue may have contributed to the failure.

The telescope's massive science platform, which weighed in at 900 tons, was suspended above the vast radio dish by three dozen supporting cables. But in August 2020, one of those cables slipped out of its socket; before the failure could be repaired, a second cable snapped outright in November. The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), which owns the site, determined that the platform was too unstable to safely repair and decided to decommission the instrument. Before that could happen, the telescope collapsed on its own on Dec. 1.

Engineers have been investigating the cables since August, and crews have been cleaning up the debris and monitoring environmental concerns since the collapse,observatory director Francisco Cordova said during a panel discussion held on Jan. 21. "The site cleanup and the debris removal really is ongoing," Cordova told the panel, which is focused on small solar system objects like asteroids in order to inform the National Academies committee that's putting together the document that will shape planetary science priorities for the next decade. "In general, I think that is moving in the right direction."

Related: Terrifying footage shows collapse of Arecibo Observatory's massive radio telescope

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Cordova noted that the telescope's azimuth arm, which helped steer its instruments, and the hanging dome suspended from it that held antennas and the facility's radar transmitter, have already been removed from the site. Environmental engineers have also collected two types of potentially hazardous materials that were used on the platform, he said.

The next priority is to clear out remaining platform debris; to reach that material, work crews have deconstructed part of the massive Arecibo reflector dish, which measures 1,000 feet (305 meters) across. The observatory team is also evaluating how much of the dish itself can be rescued, Cordova said.

"There's still a lot of discussions as to how much of the primary reflector can be saved and how do we go about that," Cordova said. "Our focus right now is the safe removal of the platform structure, and then we'll look at it from there."

Simultaneously, two forensic investigations are evaluating what caused the telescope's collapse. One investigation focuses on the so-called auxiliary cables. These 12 cables were added in the 1990s, when the observatory installed the massive hanging dome that distinguishes the telescope's appearance in the movie "Contact" from its previous cameo in James Bond's "GoldenEye." The first cable to fail was one of these auxiliary cables, which slipped out of its socket where it connected to one of the three supporting towers surrounding the dish.

"Preliminary investigation has revealed that there was a manufacturing error in those cables — in particular, the socketing procedure wasn't done appropriately, and that led to advanced degradation of that particular structural element," Cordova said. "But the final forensics investigation is still to be completed."

Related: Losing Arecibo Observatory would create a hole that can't be filled, scientists say

A second forensic investigation focuses on the main cables, which are original to the telescope's construction in the early 1960s. It was one of these main cables that snapped in November, despite engineers' estimates that it was only carrying about 60% of the weight it should have been able to withstand.

As they work, site engineers are separating debris that could be relevant to the two forensic examinations. In addition, Cordova said that personnel are evaluating debris being removed for potential historic importance so that items can be saved.

Both the clean-up and investigation processes are ongoing, Cordova emphasized; in addition, the NSF is working separately on understanding the collapse and evaluating the site's future, including for a report that Congress has requested by late February.

And the answer may never be crystal clear. "Certainly, there's typically not a single item that contributed but a multitude of items that contributed to the particular failure," Cordova said. In addition to the facility's age, the past few years have been hard on Puerto Rico. In 2017, Hurricane Maria battered the island, and over the course of 2020, it experienced more than 10,000 earthquakes.

"Basically, we were shaking the entire time; that certainly could have been a factor," Cordova said. "That's being still analyzed by the engineering teams."

Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her on Twitter @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Preliminary investigation offers possible cause of Arecibo Observatory telescope collapse | Space

CHESS

Remembering Eva Moser
by André Schulz

1/25/2021 – About two years ago, Austrian Woman Grand Master Eva Moser passed away. Michael Ehn, Kurt Jungwirth and Markus Ragger have now published a beautiful and impressively detailed book to honour the memory, life and chess career of this outstanding player.




Throughout its history, the Austrian chess community has seen a number of outstanding female players. Paula Kalmar-Wolf, Gisela Harum and Salome Reischer even had the chance to represent Austria at the Women's World Championships. However, the best Austrian-born female player was Eva Moser, and while she never got the opportunity to participate in a World Championship like her predecessors, she nonetheless represented her country admirably in numerous other international tournaments.

Born on July 26th, 1982 in the small town of Tamsweg and raised in Spittal an der Dau, Eva Moser began playing tournament chess at the age of ten. In secondary school, a class mate encouraged her to join the chess club. A mere few months later, she showed her exceptional talent at a school chess tournament in Klagenfurt, where she scored four wins and one draw as the youngest participant. Shortly afterwards, she joined a chess club in Spittel, which was quite unusual for a girl her age.

It did not take long for the Austrian Chess Federation to notice her outstanding talent. Eight times Eva Moser played in the Junior Championships in the age categories U10 to U14, winning eight times. In 1994, she participated in the World Junior Championship U14w in Szeged, finishing on place eight. In 1998, the European Junior Championship was held in Austria, and in spite of the stiff competition from a number of East European countries, she managed to finish second in the U16w, together with Ana Matnadze. In the following World Junior Championship, she finished fifth, an even more substantial achievement.

After finishing school, Eva Moser began studying business economics in Graz. She continued playing in tournaments, receiving professional training for brief periods of time. However, a lot of her chess knowledge came from reading books. Eva Moser finished her studies with a bachelor's degree and planned to pursue a career as a professional chess player. In 2005, chess was officially recognised as a sport in Austria and the Federation received access to public funding. Additionally, training of cadre and junior players was taken over by Zoltan Ribli, a development which benefitted Eva Moser.

From the very start, Eva Moser had understood that she had to measure her strength with male players to refine her technique. And so she did. In 2000, Eva Moser played her first Olympiad, as a member of the female national team. However, in 2004, she already represented Austria in the open section, playing first board for the Austrian team.

In 2006, she even won the overall Austrian National Championship. In 2003, she was the first Austrian woman to receive the title of Woman Grand Master (WGM). In the mid-2000s, Eva Moser was the best chess player in Austria. In the history of chess, a woman taking up the spot at the very top of her country's leaderboards has always been a rare sight, but Eva Moser managed to pull it off regardless.

Aside from playing in tournaments, Eva Moser also contributed articles to the Austrian Federation's official publication Schach Aktiv. She also held lectures and recorded a number of DVDs for ChessBase in Hamburg.

However, in 2015, Eva Moser suddenly retired from public chess life and no longer played tournaments. She had been diagnosed with leukemia. On March 31, 2019, Eva Moser passed away. She was only 37 years old.

For German-speaking readers, Michael Ehn, Kurt Jungwirth and Markus Ragger have now published a beautiful book which represents a touching tribute to this outstanding chess player: Eva Moser: Phantasie und Präzision auf dem Schachbrett (Eva Moser: Imagination and Precision on the Chess Board)

The book is divided into three parts and nine chapters. The first section, compiled by chess historian Michael Ehn, presents an overview of women's chess in Austria in the time before Eva Moser. Kurt Jungwirth's recollections of the Woman Grand Master are introduced by a lovingly assembled series of photographs showing an energetic and lively young girl growing up to be a world class player.

Over the years, Michael Ehn got to interwiew and talk with Eva Moser a number of times. The first time he spoke with her, she was 16 years old and had just won the silver medal at the European Junior Championship in 1998. Back then, Eva Moser told him about her role models, Paul Keres most of all, but Bobby Fischer, as well. The next opportunity for a conversation came after the U20 National Championship in 2002. 20 year old Eva Moser was planning to complete her studies and dreaming of a career in professional chess. However, she first wanted to reach an Elo rating of 2450.

After conquering the title of national champion in 2006 (men and women), she spoke with Michael Ehn about women's chess in Austria and the rest of the world. The way she saw it, the main reason behind the low number of women who manage to reach top positions in the world of chess is primarily a statistical one. According to her, there are just not enough female players to provide women's chess with a large base of strong players.

In 2014, Eva Moser triumphed at a Grand Masters' Tournament in Augsburg, winning against Petar Arnaudov in a spectacular game, which went down in chess history by featuring no less than five queens on the board.

Here's this unique game:
Arnaudov, G.Petar2442 0–1 Moser, Eva2436

IV. Internationales Senator-Max-Gutmann
Augsburg[,Eva] WGM


After the tournament, she told Michael Ehn about her newfound fascination with the style of
Richard Rapport and said that she did not believe Emanuel Lasker would stand a chance if he were to play a game against Magnus Carlsen nowadays, considering the amount of research that has been put into analysing every phase of the game since then.

In 2015, Eva Moser suddenly retired from tournament chess. In 2017, she also stopped contributing to Schach Aktiv. Eva Moser did not disclose any reason for her choice, but the Austrian chess community already had a suspicion that a serious illness might be the cause.

In January 2019, Michael Ehn spoke with a very sad Eva Moser one last time. "I am waiting," she told him.

The largest section of the book is dedicated to Eva Moser's chess legacy. She always favoured a lively and inventive style, quite frequently to great success. Markus Ragger, by now Austria's top-ranked player, annotated a selection of her games. There is a lot to be learned from him and Eva Moser. Comments about her opening variations are lengthy and exhaustive. Some of these variations were controversially discussed by Markus Ragger and Eva Moser on a number of occasions.

For instance, Moser thought that the retreat 3...Qd8 in the Scandinavian was a valid alternative to 3...Qa5 or 3...Qd6. Markus Ragger disagreed, but after looking at the lines again, he admits that he was probably wrong. Nowadays, 3...Qd8 is even played by players such as Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana. The book also features a number of interesting games, with commentary based in part on Eva Moser's own notes.

The three authors have taken great care in assembling this beautiful and educational tribute to Eva Moser for German-speaking chess enthusiasts, and for this, they deserve all the recognition they can get. The book is a wonderful reminiscence of a great chess player and exceptional personality.

Eva Moser: Phantasie und Präzision am Schachbrett, Euro 38,-



Available for instance at Schach Niggemann...

'It was disgusting': Support pours in for Sask.'s Dr. Shahab following harassment at family home


Cally Stephanow CTV News Regina Video Journalist
Published Monday, January 25, 2021 

Sask. rallies behind Dr. Shahab and family

Last Updated Monday, January 25, 2021 6:44PM CST

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WATCH: Following harassment at his family home on the weekend, Saskatchewan residents have rallied to show their support for Dr. Shahab.

REGINA -- Organizations and individuals across Saskatchewan have rallied behind the province’s chief medical health officer after individuals protested at his Regina home on Saturday.

People are expressing their support online using the hashtag, #IStandWithShahab.

President and CEO of Evraz Place, Tim Reid said he thanks "Dr. Shahab and his family for their selfless commitment to Saskatchewan."

Related Stories
'Group of idiots': Sask. premier defends Dr. Shahab after harassment at family home

The support comes as Premier Scott Moe took to social media this weekend calling the protestors, "idiots."

The Government of Saskatchewan said Dr. Shahab and Scott Moe will comment on the incident at Tuesday's press conference.

On Saturday, the leader of Saskatchewan’s opposition also shared his support for Shahab on Twitter.

“This is incredibly stupid and dangerous. Dr. Shahab is doing a very difficult and important job trying to protect us all from COVID-19,” Ryan Meili wrote. “He deserves our respect and support, not this unconscionable abuse.”

"Dr. Shahab, those 12 angry people do not speak for the one million residents of Saskatchewan. Thank you for all you've done for our province." Gloria Olson, a travel agent in Regina wrote on social media.

"I do think it was disgusting that people would go and threaten his safety and the safety of his family," Olson said. "When he can't even live privately outside of his work, and I'm sure he's working 12 hour days or longer to protect us. But yet he has to feel threatened by a few idiots."

Olson's post has now been shared more than 4.2 thousand times.

Olson's dad also died in November and the family hasn't been able to have a proper funeral. She said she understands the restrictions are tough but she knows they are in place to protect Saskatchewan residents.

"I believe if he was a mechanic, and I took my car to him and I didn't like the work that he did on it, do I follow him home and harass him because I don't like the job that he's doing or the job that he's done? "Or go to a restaurant and order a meal you don't like to follow the chef home and harass him," Olson said. "It's just ludicrous."

The Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) released a statement on Monday denouncing the protestors.

The President of the SMA said the organization stands with Dr. Shahab and all of his colleagues.

“Bringing a protest to Dr. Shahab’s private residence is absolutely unacceptable, and the SMA condemns these actions,” said Dr. Barb Konstantynowicz, president of the SMA.

Both RCMP and the Regina Police Service (RPS) are providing some level of protection for Shahab.


Since the protest on Saturday, there are some questions about why protestors were able to demonstrate outside Shahab's home.

At a press conference on Monday afternoon, RPS Chief Evan Bray said the protestors were not being violent and were wearing masks. He said if the was an immediate threat to Dr. Shahab, then officers would have taken action.

"The primary focus is, is there any immediate risk to the safety of anyone? And if there isn't, then the investigative work is done to determine if there any potential charges that will come from that," Bray said. "That's the work that's going on right now."



Dr. Saqib Shahab speaks Nov. 19 about new modelling that shows cases of COVID-19 could at least double in the province over the next six months. (Marc Smith/CTV News)

Vulcan County could be home to 83 wind turbines taller than the Calgary Tower

Buffalo Plains Wind Farm seeking approval from Alberta Utilities Commission

Natalie Valleau · CBC News ·  | Last Updated: January 26, 2021

  

A wind turbine overshadows a grain elevator near Pincher Creek, Alta., on March 9, 2016. A 500-megawatt wind farm is being planned for Vulcan County. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

A 500-megawatt wind farm proposed for Vulcan County is headed to the Alberta Utilities Commission.

If approved, the wind farm would be the third major green energy development in the county.

The project, called the Buffalo Plains Wind Farm, is planned for a site near Lomond, Alta., which is around 175 kilometres southeast of Calgary.

It would consist of 83 wind turbines spread across 24,000 acres (9,710 hectares) of privately owned farmland.

Jason Schneider, the reeve of Vulcan County, says the towers will be larger than usual.

"The height of the tower itself is about 115 metres and the blade is about 170 metres in diameter. To put that in comparison, the Calgary Tower is 191 metres tall," he told the Calgary Eyeopener.

He says this will produce a substantial amount of power, which will be around six megawatts per tower.

"The towers have definitely grown substantially and … they're producing three times the power as well.

More jobs in county

The reeve says an added bonus is that the project would bring much-needed tax revenue and jobs to Vulcan.

"They are proposing about 300 construction jobs and then the permanent jobs would be 10 to 15 range," he said.

"As far as permanent jobs, it is quite a bit lower than some other industries, but the construction process of this is quite substantial and it does employ a lot of people for a couple years, for sure."

Vulcan is also home to the Blackspring Ridge Wind project, which, when it was installed in 2014, was the largest single site in Canada.

"We do have a little bit of experience in the wind sector. And then we also have a solar farm that is in the process of being built right now," said Schneider.

Alberta could lead Canada in wind and solar power by 2025, expert says

$500M investment means construction to start on Canada's largest solar farm this year

He says having this sector come to their county has changed the landscape in terms of investments.

"For rough numbers, when the Blackspring Ridge project came online, it was about 20 per cent of all the county's entire tax base, which is, you know, quite substantial," he said.

"When you compare it to at the very peak of oil and gas (in 2004 and 2005) that made up 50 per cent of our tax base. So it's big numbers and they definitely change things."

The utility commission will hear public submissions on the wind farm until Feb. 24., but ultimately it is a provincial decision as opposed to municipal, Schneider says.

"We definitely do hear people with some current concerns on these, especially when you're proposing towers that are taller than the Calgary Tower," he said.

"Ultimately, the Alberta Utility Commission is the one that kind of makes the final decision."

Listen to the full interview below:

Calgary Eyeopener
How Vulcan County is finding itself in a bit of a green energy revolution. 8:14
With files from the Calgary Eyeopener.

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Vancouver CEO and actress (WIFE) charged after flying 2,200 km to sneak into COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Yukon

The couple allegedly presented themselves as visiting (TEMP) workers, misleading staff at the mobile vaccination clinic in Beaver Creek

Author of the article: Gordon McIntyre

Publishing date:Jan 26, 2021 • 

Rod Baker and Ekaterina Baker. PHOTO BY FACEBOOK

In an act that B.C. Solicitor-General Mike Farnworth called despicable, a top Vancouver casino executive and his wife flew to a small town in the Yukon last week to receive early COVID-19 vaccinations.

“I can’t believe I’ve ever seen or heard of such a despicable, disgusting sense of entitlement and lack of a moral compass,” said Farnworth, whose portfolio includes public safety.

The province’s health officer and health minister have outlined a detailed plan for the distribution of the COVID vaccine to British Columbians, Farnworth added, reiterating that public health officials are currently focusing on high-risk groups.

Tickets filed with a court registry in Whitehorse last Thursday show Rodney Baker, 55, and Ekaterina Baker, 32, both of Vancouver, were each charged with one count of failing to self-isolate for 14 days, and one count of failing to act in a manner consistent with their declarations upon arriving in Yukon.

Each was fined $1,000, plus fees, under the Yukon’s Civil Emergency Measures Act. The charges have not been proven in court.

Dr. Bonnie Henry stressed on Monday the need to stoptravel because we take our risks with us and bring risks back from where we have been.

“I think they should be ashamed of themselves,” she said when asked about the Bakers. “They put a community at risk for their own benefit, and that to me is appalling.”

She took heart, she said, in her belief that the vast majority of British Columbians and Canadians would not do the same.

Rod Baker resigned on Monday as president and CEO of Great Canadian Gaming Corp., the company said. It owns casinos in Richmond, Surrey and Chilliwack, as well as Hastings Racecourse, among other Metro Vancouver holdings.

Last month, Great Canadian shareholders agreed to sell the company to an American firm, pending regulatory approval.

Ekaterina Baker, an actress, is described on her IMDb site as an up-and-coming Eastern European version of Charlize Theron

.

Scenes outside the condo owned by Ekaterina Baker. 

PHOTO BY NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

A Postmedia reporter and photographer went to the downtown Vancouver address on Alberni Street listed on the tickets the couple received in the Yukon, but were not able to speak with them.

The two allegedly travelled from Vancouver to Whitehorse, then chartered a private plane to fly them to Beaver Creek, an isolated village of about 100 people near the Alaskan border.

The couple misrepresented themselves “in various ways,” said John Streicker, the Yukon’s community services minister, including trying to pretend they worked at a local motel.

Streicker’s office was notified about the couple after they had received their Moderna vaccinations and flown back to Whitehorse. Officers went to the address they had declared was where they would quarantine, but discovered the couple was already preparing to fly home to Vancouver.

Angela Demit, chief of the White River First Nation, said her people were prioritized to get the vaccine because of the community’s remoteness, its elderly population and limited access to health care.

“We are deeply concerned by the actions of individuals who put our Elders and vulnerable people at risk to jump the line for selfish purposes,” she said. “We implore all Canadians to respect the vaccination rollout process and to not take similar actions.”

Great Canadian Gaming spokesman Chuck Keeling said in a statement the company complies with guidelines from public health authorities.

“Our overriding focus as a company is doing everything we can to contribute to the containment of COVID-19,” he said.

— with file from Canadian Press

‘Stories the numbers tell’: Critics ask why Alberta sat on coal contamination data
By Bob Weber The Canadian Press
Posted January 26, 2021 


In response to intense public reaction, the UCP caucus has launched a new campaign. It centers on the province's decision to rescind the coal policy. The party says it was intending to counter misinformation but others say their attempt at the facts isn't entirely true. Jill Croteau reports.

Critics are asking why Alberta Environment has been sitting on years worth of data about pollution from coal mines while the government considers a dramatic expansion of the industry.

“It raises some important questions about our ability to trust what’s going on,” said New Democrat environment critic Marlin Schmidt. “The fact (Alberta Environment) hasn’t reported publicly is extremely concerning.”


READ MORE: Contaminant from coal mines already high in some Alberta rivers: unreported data

On Monday, The Canadian Press reported on an analysis of coal mine contamination in the Gregg and McLeod Rivers and Luscar Creek near Jasper, Alta., dating back to the 1990s. It found toxic levels of selenium many times over the amount considered safe for aquatic life.

The Gregg and Luscar Creek mines closed in the early 2000s. Selenium levels from both declined, at best, only gradually over more than 15 years of remediation

In the case of the Cheviot mine on the McLeod River, levels gradually grew between 2005 and 2017. The operation closed last June.


READ MORE: As Alberta debates coal mining, industry already affecting once protected Rockies

The data also shows the provincial government knew about the levels for at least 15 years and did not report anything after 2006. The information was available in raw form, but Schmidt said it isn’t enough to simply collect information.

“There are numbers and then there are the numbers that the stories tell. That’s the piece that’s missing.”

3:05 Metallurgical coal exploration in Alberta unearths anger

The New Democrats were in power for four of those years. Schmidt said sitting on the information is worse now because Alberta is going through a wrenching debate over the present government’s plans to expand the industry by opening up the Rocky Mountains to open-pit, mountaintop coal mines — an option that did not exist under the NDP.

“This data’s relevance is more important now,” he said.

READ MORE: Alberta government policy change on coal mining in Rockies in court

Alberta Environment has pointed out that the raw data has always been public. Spokesman John Muir promised the province would soon release its own report on water downstream of coal mines.

Lack of action shows that monitoring often promised by industry and government as new projects are considered isn’t enough, said Katie Morrison of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.

“On those rivers we’re seeing that monitoring hasn’t been enough to actually control selenium. We just continue to promise monitoring. We didn’t see action to bring those selenium numbers down.”

1:50 Fly fishing businessman weighs in on Alberta’s controversial coal policy

A 2006 provincial report found that selenium was already harming fish. As well, a 2005 published study co-authored by provincial scientists found rainbow trout were suffering facial and skeletal deformities from selenium

The province has recently sold about 1.4 million hectares of coal exploration leases. Hundreds of drill sites and kilometres of new roads have already been permitted on previously unmined mountainsides. One new coal mine, Benga Mining’s Grassy Mountain project in the Crowsnest Pass in southwestern Alberta, is before a joint federal-provincial review.

READ MORE: Alberta cancels recently issued coal leases in response to public outcry

The information on the old coal mines shows what’s at issue for new ones, said Morrison.

“Those stakes are really high. (Selenium release) has been happening other places and they have not been able to get the selenium under control.”

Benga says a new method should allow the mine to treat 99 per cent of its selenium. As well, the mine has been designed to minimize contact between water and selenium-bearing rocks, the company says.

1:52 Alberta government cancels some coal leases after public outcry – Jan 18, 2021

Morrison said that treatment is still unproven. She said if its efficiency falls to even 90 per cent, selenium levels in nearby streams will cross thresholds safe for aquatic life.

Morrison said her group produced expert testimony at the Benga hearings suggesting the company doesn’t have a convincing long-term plan for controlling selenium long into the future.

“We have not seen that technology work at the scale that we’ll need it to or with the amount of selenium we’re likely to see.”


READ MORE: Public opposition growing: Petitions against Alberta coal mines top 100K signatures

© 2021 The Canadian Press

Keystone XL 'appears to be dead,' says Notley

•Jan 25, 2021

CBC News

Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley says a trade war with the U.S. is not the best method to pursue any kind of retaliation. U.S. President Joe Biden.

10 Minutes

NYC pension funds to divest billions from fossil fuels

•Jan 26, 2021


Associated Press

New York City officials announced Tuesday that two pension funds for city workers will divest an estimated $4 billion in securities related to fossil fuel companies in order to promote clean energy use. (Jan. 26)