Eyeing Gold
Hoping to catch the eye of tourists, the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, is investing $50 million in a planetarium, hotel, and new visitor facilities near its 1000-ft radio telescope, whose eye-like feed assembly is shown above. In addition, Puerto Rico Metropolitan University plans a doctoral program in astronomy and space science to attract 50,000 students. Arecibo may be best known as a cinematic stand-in for Cuba in the James Bond movie GoldenEye, during which the superspy and femme fatale Natalya Simonova skittered down the telescope dish, which is made of 38,778 panels of perforated aluminum.
Photo: Courtesy Arecibo Observatory
Advertisement
Comments