Congress is about to make a huge mistake for astronomy #SaveChandra

less than 1m read

·Nov 10, 2024

Congress is about to make a huge mistake in space. In the 1990s, NASA launched four telescopes called the Great Observatories. Their purpose was to study the universe across the electromagnetic spectrum. As the telescopes aged, NASA built replacements for each of them, except Chandra.

Chandra is the world's most powerful telescope for detecting x-rays, which reveal the biggest events in the universe. In 2017, Chandra found x-rays coinciding with the first observed gravitational waves. Last year, it recorded the most distant black hole ever.

But NASA just released their 2025 budget, and Chandra's funding has been cut 40%. If Congress approves this budget, layoffs could start this summer, with the telescope shutting down shortly after that. Without a replacement, losing Chandra would be what scientists are calling an extinction-level event for x-ray astronomy.

The telescope doesn't need much; its annual budget is far less than that of Hubble or Webb—only about the cost of a single F-16 fighter jet. Ask Congress to save Chandra, spread the hashtag, and go to savechandra.harvard.edu.

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Congress is about to make a huge mistake for astronomy #SaveChandra

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