Trevelyan's Mainframe / FILE: Observatory, Arecibo [Thirty years removed]

Deep within the Puerto Rican jungle, the world’s largest single-aperture telescope once hung as a testament to great scientific achievement; a marvel of man-made technology. Though, it’s been a long thirty years since we last saw the cradle in all her glory on the silver screen, albeit in a better way than her current state. A rather sad case, I must admit...

Your access codes for this file check out and you may proceed. The following data is all we have on the Arecibo Observatory and its radio telescope, thirty years removed from their appearance in GOLDENEYE.

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Operative: Janus

File: Arecibo Observatory

Report From: GRU Military Intelligence Archives

Lat: 59.9311 N

Long: 30.3609 E

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TREVELYAN:

This single-dish radio telescope located close to the equator, just south of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, was the key to securing Janus’ future... the glory days. Alas, those days are far behind us. If you are to continue through this file, basic history on this center should be understood first.

Being completed in 1963, the Arecibo Observatory, also known as the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (or NAIC for short), was overseen by Cornell University (New York, USA) alongside the United States' Department of Defense. Originally developed as a sort of radar that could be used to identify missiles or harmful objects that entered Earth's upper atmosphere, the observatory would quickly become less of a defense tool and more of a science center by the end of the decade.

Missiles be damned, I suppose...

In 1969, Arecibo and its radio telescope would be turned over to the National Science Foundation, thus becoming an accredited, federally funded research and development center. Several organizations then expressed interest in the aid and utilization of the site, including the Universities Space Research Association, Universidad Metropolitana of Puerto Rico, and SRI International (a nonprofit scientific research institute, California, USA). For the most of its life, this site has been used for research in radio astronomy, radar astronomy, and other atmospheric sciences.

By the mid-to-late nineties, Arecibo Observatory became a hot-spot for filmmakers as a unique, visually exciting location for an array of thriller, sci-fi, and action films. One of those films, perhaps the most notable of the lot, was 1995's GOLDENEYE.

Arecibo's radio telescope and spherical reflector dish.

Doubling for Jauns' control center and final access point an EMP weapon, codenamed 'GoldenEye', Arecibo Observatory would be fictionally hidden by a manmade lake. Using models, miniatures, and a little movie magic, this lake would drain to reveal the satellite dish underneath in the film. However, thanks to James Bond, this control center would all come crashing down in the film's climax.

Literally and figuratively... very clever. Let's move on.

The radio telescope and observatory would next appear in 1997 film, CONTACT, starring such talents as Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, and James Woods. According to our intel, the film’s plot would be based on a scientist of the Arecibo Observatory making contact with life beyond Earth through the site's one-of-a-kind technology. Earning over $170 million USD worldwide, CONTACT was considered a financial success.

The next major mainframe entry concerning this facility is dated 1999, the year that the UC Berkley's SETI@home program would make the Arecibo Observatory its base of operations. This attracted global attention, as the program’s main goal was to discover extraterrestrial life through radio evidence. Most of this program’s data has since been collected in our mainframe, as the search for life beyond Earth continues today.

For decades, Arecibo was a leading site in these studies, but usefulness would wane and the costs of operation would only increase. Much needed repairs and updates had mounted by the year 2000. Shortly after, federal funding to the center was drastically cut. Arecibo Observatory's budget would be cut in half.

Though, collected data shows that in 2009, the center was back to making big radio transmissions. A message containing the DNA sequence of RuBisCo protein used by plants to perform photosynthesis, appropriately named RuBisCo Stars, would be sent to the GJ 83.1, Teegarden’s, and Kappa Ceti stars with hopes that any possible life had the technology to receive such a message.

Though, I’ll admit, it’s all somewhat over my head. You’d have to consult our associate, Mr. Boris Grishenko, to elaborate any further on such details. He fancies all those odd alien theories...

In 2011, the National Science Foundation removed Arecibo Observatory from its list of federally funded research and development centers. This was a mark of true decline for Arecibo's status in the science community. Since then, data entries have been rather scarce with operations being small, yet steady.

We have noted here that hurricane winds rocked Puerto Rico in 2017, further stressing the structure of the telescope and dish below, setting the stage for future issues. Earthquakes in 2019 and 2020 only worsened the situation.

Then, in 2020, tragedy struck.

Arecibo Observatory's radio telescope crashes through its dish.

In the late summer and fall of 2020, amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, Arecibo's long-delayed repairs had reached a breaking point. After the failing of a secondary support cable in August, which caused a 100 ft gash in the dish below, and a main cable from tower four failing in November, fears of a collapse became all too apparent for the center. The National Science Foundation moved into swift action, scheduling a controlled demolition and decommission of the suspended structure for early 2021, after discovering further slippages in other support cables. It was determined that it would be cheaper and quicker to be rid of the structure all together, than repair it at this point.

However, on the morning of December 1st, 2020, several remaining cables connected to tower four failed and the suspended radio telescope came crashing down, destroying the reflector dish below. Long-term, progressive damage to the zinc wiring of the cables was determined as the cause of the failure, with human error and natural causes joining blame.

Rumors swirled of a new telescope and dish to be constructed at the site, but in 2022, the National Science Foundation announced that no new instrumentation would replace the destroyed ones, opting to build an educational center in its place.

Side notes within this file are plentiful, thanks to several of our operatives on the inside.

In a bit of trivia, Arecibo Observatory popped up on Bond filmmakers' radars all the way back in 1976. According to our reports, the center was originally discussed to make an appearance in early drafts of THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, with the technology there helping to explain how the main villain was able to track and steal several nations' submarines. Scenes at Arecibo were eventually scrapped in rewrites.

Of course, every knowledgeable Janus operative is aware that the observatory’s radio telescope was featured in the 1997 movie-based video game, GOLDENEYE 007, as the setting of the final core mission of the game, titled 'Cradle'.

What happens at the end of that level is not to be discussed further, however…

Also in 1997, the Ángel Ramos Foundation Visitor Center officially opened. This in-depth experience features interactive exhibits and displays surrounding the operations and theme of the radio telescope, astronomy, and atmospheric science. According to several entries here, admission is very reasonable for adults, seniors, children of all ages.

In 2001, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers named the Arecibo radio telescope an IEEE Milestone for being a key historical achievement in electrical and electronic engineering. Further adding to the merit and importance of the site, the United States officially listed the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center on the National Register for Historic Places in September of 2008.

Our final entry here suggests that the Arecibo Radio Telescope would reemerge in video game form as a tightly-based dish multiplayer map in DICE’s BATTLEFIELD 4. As a nod to the Janus Syndicate, the map is known as ‘Rogue Transmission’ and players are able to destroy the telescope entirely, or have firefights atop the main transmitter via helicopter drop off.

I admire your choosing to pry deeper into my mainframe, as you’ve just read through a file that lies amongst my personal favorites. Janus continues to operate with a close eye on this facility and it is suggested you do the same.

In the interim, as you continue your venture from the cradle to the grave,

watch your step out there, old boy.

You never know when it may be your last.

-TREVELYAN

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