“The 305-meter telescope itself will be a loss,” he said. The platform itself will also likely be destroyed, but the towers and other structures saved. “The rest of the observatory will be preserved.”

NSF made that decision after engineering firms hired by the observatory warned it was at risk of an uncontrolled collapse, and was too dangerous for crews to work on. “After the recent failure, WSP does not recommend allowing personnel on the platform or the towers, or anywhere in their immediate physical vicinity in case of potential sudden structural failure,” stated WSP, one engineering firm involved in that analysis, in a letter to the University of Central Florida (UCF), which leads a consortium that operates Arecibo for the NSF. An uncontrolled collapse could tear down the towers and damage the other buildings and facilities that the NSF wants to preserve.

The fact that both broken cables were linked to the same tower was particularly worrisome. “The engineers have advised us that the break of one more cable [at that tower] will result in an uncontrolled collapse of the structure,” Gaume said.

Moreover, the cable that broke did so at only about 62% of its rated strength, suggesting that it, and potentially other cables, have weakened since their installation decades ago. Ashley Zauderer, program director for Arecibo at NSF, said that, according to the agency’s records, the observatory followed proper maintenance plans for the cables. But, she added, those cables, manufactured in the 1950s and 1960s, “were designed in such a way that it was hard, even with regular maintenance such as painting, to keep moisture and other things from seeping in.”

it appears that we aren't at a "we aren't willing to pay enough for science" place but more of a "this thing is collapsing hella faster than anybody expected and could kill people at any minute" sort of situation.