The President’s Budget for 2025, released on March 11, sparked chaos in the astronomy community. To account for a 3 percent cut to NASA’s science budget, NASA administrators reduced funding levels for the Chandra X-ray Observatory so dramatically that it would, in practice, decommission the observatory much earlier than necessary. This would threaten astronomers’ abilities to study the universe effectively, even though Chandra has, by several estimates, up to a decade of life left. The plan would lay off about half of Chandra’s staff by the end of 2025 and effectively retire the mission by the end of 2026, according to posts on X (formerly Twitter) and statements by Chandra staff and the astronomy community.
Chandra — an orbiting telescope launched in 1999 that detects X-ray light emitted from galaxies, nebulae, black holes, and other high energy astrophysical phenomena — is one of the “Great Observatories”: a set of four telescopes launched between 1990 and 2003 that transformed astronomy. Chandra, along with the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, fundamentally changed our understanding of the universe. For all except Chandra, replacement observatories have been developed (and in some cases already launched) to shepherd in the next generation of observational astronomy. With no replacement X-ray observatory proposed by the U.S., the loss of Chandra would be catastrophic to both the astronomy research community and the interested public.
Chandra is unique in that it allows astronomers to understand extremely high-energy astrophysical phenomena such as exploding stars and the areas around black holes. Its synergies with the James Webb Space Telescope have led to some of the most amazing astronomical images of our time. Additionally, the Chandra public outreach and communication efforts have been unique and extensive throughout the telescope’s lifetime, including pre-designed classroom activities, global public engagement programs, and an album of Chandra images transformed into sound waves.
In a rebuttal to NASA’s 2025 budget request, Chandra director Patrick Slane wrote that despite a longstanding technical issue, the observatory’s efficiency is stable, and the American Astronomical Society reported that Chandra staff estimate normal operations could continue for five to 10 years.
Faced with the potential loss of valuable science and public engagement, the astronomy community came together immediately to launch a movement to save the observatory, and to advocate for why NASA science programs are worth funding. The movement isn’t just about the science but also about inspiring the next generation of scientific explorers.
The #SaveChandra hashtag quickly took off on X, with prominent astronomers such as Laura Lopez of The Ohio State University and Katie Mack of the Perimeter Institute posting in favor of restoring Chandra’s budget. A website, SaveChandra.org, was launched the same day the budget was released with pages explaining the dire funding situation, links to highlight the impact of the mission’s science, and action steps users could take to help support the continuation of the observatory. Outside of the academic community, science communicators like Derek Muller took to YouTube and TikTok with videos, one of which has garnered more than 13 million views. An open letter supporting Chandra was signed by astronomers around the world and contained 87 pages of signatures by the time it reached the desks of NASA Science Mission Directorate senior staff Nicola Fox and Mark Clampin on March 14.
The outpouring of support for Chandra continued. In June, a coalition of congressmembers from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Washington released a public statement urging NASA Administrator Bill Nelson to maintain full funding for Chandra. In July, two congressional documents, the House Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee Report and the NASA Reauthorization Act draft, contained vague language of support for the mission, the latter stating “The Administrator shall, to the greatest extent practicable, take no action to reduce or otherwise preclude continuation of the science operations of the Chandra X-Ray Telescope prior to the completion and consideration of the earlier of the next triennial review of mission extensions.”
With no replacement X-ray observatory proposed by the U.S., the loss of Chandra would be catastrophic to both the astronomy research community and the interested public.
On July 19, Grant Tremblay, senior vice president of the American Astronomical Society and former project scientist for the Chandra High Resolution Camera, posted on X a timeline that had been released to Chandra staff members, stating that staff reductions would be announced on Aug. 5, with termination by Sept. 30. Again, the academic and public astronomical community surged with support for Chandra scientists and their families. The hashtag resurfaced on X, with posts garnering thousands of views.
After witnessing the enormous support for #SaveChandra, NASA administration made the decision to go back on their initial proposal and reinstate funding for Chandra — at least for the next fiscal year. On Aug. 23, Yvette Cendes, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, posted on X an email from the director of her institution, which stated that funding for Chandra staff would continue in full through Sept. 30, 2025, avoiding layoffs through that date. Astronomer David Pooley of Trinity University, whom I corresponded with by email, confirmed that no staff would be laid off during the 2025 fiscal year, but added that the budget for science analysis has been cut in half, and the future of the mission beyond 2025 will be decided by a NASA Senior Review next year.
The legacy of Chandra and the Great Observatories goes beyond science. Astronomical discoveries and groundbreaking telescope images are among the limited types of positive news that reaches a broad public audience. And in a world where news cycles are dominated by fear and negativity, we need unifying stories with a positive impact more than ever. As Tremblay told me, “Any space mission, especially a space science mission that brings not only scientific discoveries, but the light of discovery to our world, is absolutely worth 10 times its investment.” Public interest in astronomical research brings light and joy into our world, and helps to inspire the next generation of scientists and explorers of the universe.
The #SaveChandra movement’s preliminary success is a perfect example of the power of scientific community, not just among scientists but between science and society. We exist in a highly contentious moment: Public trust in science has declined significantly in recent years. Oftentimes, the blame for this predicament is placed on the public. However, the #SaveChandra movement shows a way for scientists to take on some responsibility for — and work towards closing — this gap.
The huge amount of energy that went into #SaveChandra was not directed internally, but externally. Astronomers engaged with the public and with policymakers enthusiastically, not with the goal of arguing but of bringing about a common understanding. And though there is still work to be done, these efforts were still highly impactful, saving the mission for another year and reigniting public excitement and appreciation for the unique work that Chandra scientists produce.
Public interest in astronomical research brings light and joy into our world, and helps to inspire the next generation of scientists and explorers of the universe.
This is the power of community. When scientists and the public come together and engage with one another, when we work towards educating one another, when scientists make a significant effort to bring people into the world of science, it is possible to create support for and engagement with science. Only with a truly inclusive scientific community can we achieve support for the science needed to change the world.
The future of Chandra science is still to be determined. The widespread support for the #SaveChandra movement has shown how important and highly valued Chandra science is, not just to scientists but to the public and the government. And it’s still a good investment: Pooley told me that the mission’s operating costs are just 0.3 percent of NASA’s budget. The observatory, he noted, “is a multi-billion dollar marvel of technology and engineering that has already been paid for. It is healthy and still exceeding many pre-launch requirements after two and a half decades in space. It continues to produce ground-breaking results.”
Discoveries from missions like Chandra remind us that we are all human and that we all exist on the same tiny planet, in the same big universe. The #SaveChandra movement’s success, though preliminary, brings hope that we can continue to use astronomy as a force of unity and positivity in years to come.
Katherine Laliotis is an astrophysics graduate student at The Ohio State University. Her research is focused on experimental cosmology with the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
This article was originally published on Undark. Read the original article.
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