If it was deprioritized, which it seems it was, it was still done in a disappointing and rather eye-opening manner. Just letting an expensive and important scientific instrument deteriorate and just collapse is not the same as properly deprioritizing and decommissioning it.

No doubt. But how many scientific tools also become cultural icons? in an era where we need more young people becoming passionate about science and space, the loss of Arecibo feels like the loss of the Challenger to many.

Should we really be allowing James Bond movies to choose where we spend our scientific resources? Just in the telescope domain the James Webb Space Telescope should finally launch next year and if it works will be an enormous step forwards.

who?? if not for goldeneye no one would even know this thing existed

I was thinking of Contact actually.