Residents' Push Pays Off: NSF Pauses Fall Demolition of Sunspot Observatory's Remaining Buildings
A local coalition fighting to save the Sunspot Solar Observatory in New Mexico's Sacramento Mountains won a partial victory after a summer of advocacy: the National Science Foundation (NSF) has confirmed it will not demolish the observatory's remaining historic buildings this fall.
Earlier this year NSF announced plans to demolish the nearly 80-year-old observatory after a liquid mercury leak inside an aging telescope. A "Friends of Sunspot" coalition of former employees, residents and state lawmakers asked that reusable facilities such as the visitor center be preserved. In September, Rick St. Hilaire, a New Hampshire attorney and amateur solar observer, formally objected to NSF, asking it to re-examine the "irreversible" demolition decision under Administrative Procedure Act standards.
Linnea Avallone, NSF's chief officer for research facilities, replied on Sept. 24 confirming that the Dunn Solar Telescope must still be demolished to clean up the mercury contamination, but, as the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Officer requested clarification, the site's other historic buildings will not be demolished this fall and objections will be heard before any further demolition. A spokesperson for the state historic preservation office said demolition of the remaining buildings is currently scheduled for sometime in 2027. An NSF spokesperson stressed, however, that the agency's demolition plan "has not changed" — it is simply allowing the objection process to run first.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：太阳黑子观测站的理查德·B·邓恩太阳望远镜（资料图）。照片：Wikimedia Commons（CC BY-SA 2.0）。The Richard B. Dunn Solar Telescope at Sunspot Solar Observatory (file photo). Photo via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).
