A large radio telescope manufactured famed as the backdrop for a pivotal scene in James Bond movie “GoldenEye” and other Hollywood hits was discovered quickly out of commission immediately after cables mysteriously snapped and smashed into the facility’s major dish.

The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico is household to just one of the world’s largest radio telescopes, performing as a big ear to the universe. Located in the middle of a forest, the telescope listens for radio signals from other galaxies and has contributed to several breakthroughs in astronomy.

Apart from monitoring asteroids that could endanger the earth, the telescope played a important position in the “SETI” system — the search for intelligent life. It was notably utilized by astronomer Carl Sagan to send an interstellar concept. 

Previously this 7 days, the facility was compelled to shut down just after a cable supporting a metallic platform over the telescope fell, tearing a 100-foot gash in its large reflector dish. 

“The cable did not really crack in the feeling of a cable variety of snapping, but it just type of slipped from its socket, which is you know, an even weirder condition,” Arecibo Observatory Director Francisco Cordova told CBS News’ Jeff Glor. 

Specialists working all-around the clock to get the telescope again on line say they are nonetheless making assessments to find what precisely occurred, storing the machine’s “framework of abilities,” and making confident it could not guide to much more troubles in the future. 

“So at this position, we’re not, you know, we don’t actually have a greater timeline of when that is going to take place,” Cordova mentioned. 

The telescope, a pivotal aspect of the ongoing search to locate other planets able of sustaining daily life, has survived terrestrial dangers like hurricanes, tropical storms and earthquakes. Now, the scientific community hopes it can get better from the mysterious harm.

“We will find a way to restore this distinct concern and continue on to shift forward,” Cordova explained. “We have get over a large amount in our 50-12 months background, from Hurricane Maria to extremely latest rash of earthquakes to now this. So we’re a rather resilient bunch down in this article and we are likely to determine out a way to carry on to go ahead, undertaking remarkable science for the entire world.”