The 300-foot telescope in Green Bank, West Virginia was completed in 1962. Just a few years prior to its completion, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) established the National Radio Quiet Zone in 1958. The goal of this zone was to prevent harmful radio interference to the telescopes.
300-foot pierces its control building
On the night of November 15, 1988, the 300-foot telescope in Green Bank, West Virginia collapsed on to its control building, piercing it and knocking out all power. Thankfully, no-one was injured.
Workers remove equipment from 300-foot’s control building
Throughout the next day, staff assessed the damage, tried to save as much of the in-tact equipment as possible, and looked into what could have caused the collapse. Eventually, they learned there was no salvaging the downed antenna. However, the control room’s computers and other equipment were retrieved from the pierced control building.
The Mangled Steel of the 300-foot
Staff members, who were assessing the amount of damage the collapse had caused, said the downed telescope looked “more like caramel than steel” when they came to inspect the ruins.
Side view of the 300-foot collapse
Other staff members who came to inspect the ruins that morning said the telescope looked “like a big steamship…capsized and the spires sticking up in the air.”
Tight shot of the 300-foot’s damaged panels
Many of the telescope’s panel were bent due to the collapse. There were attempts to try to salvage as many panels as the staff could, however like most of the steel trapped under the wreckage, several panels were broken beyond repair.