At the request of the Director of the National Science Foundation, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will convene an ad hoc study committee to conduct a review of the failure and collapse of the 305-Meter Telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. The committee will issue a report explaining the contributing factors and probable cause(s) of the failure and recommendations for measures to prevent similar damage to other facilities in the future. The committee will assess the environmental, physical, and design considerations as well as any administrative or management practices that may have been contributing factors to the failure and include the following tasks:

1. Examine the performance of the structures related to:
a. Engineering design and material specification for original and subsequent upgrades;
b. Documented construction procedures and contractor performance;
c. Environmental conditions, loading events, (e.g. wind, seismic, multi-hazard), corrosion;
d. Maintenance, repair, and recapitalization activities for the telescope.
2. Assess oversight and management policies and practices that may have been contributing factors to the failure including:
a. Contractor selection and procurement during construction and repair;
b. Maintenance planning and oversight;
c. Routine inspection and structural review;
3. Identify lessons learned for NSF in general for oversight and response actions for other large facilities physical condition, integrity, and function including end-of-life considerations;

4. Identify and recommend actions or general best practices for consideration to limit or prevent other large facility engineering failure or damage at other large NSF facilities that would significantly impact ongoing science.
The committee will issue a single report that presents the committee’s analysis, including findings and/or recommendations, called for in the tasks above within 8 months of contract date. The report will not be an assessment of science priorities or an evaluation of future use for the facility. A final published version will follow within 90 days.