Chandra X-ray Observatory
NASA/CXC & J. Vaughan
On 23 July 1999, simply months earlier than I began college, NASA’s house shuttle Columbia launched with treasured cargo on board. Not solely was it carrying the primary crew to be led by a girl, Eileen Collins, however its major purpose was to launch a brand new flagship house telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Chandra was the heaviest payload that NASA’s house shuttles ever carried, and it turned out to be one of many final two accomplished missions by Columbia earlier than it tragically exploded after launch on 1 February 2003.
Chandra was the primary, and up to now solely, NASA mission named for an individual of color, the late theoretical astrophysicist and Nobel laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, recognized to his family and friends as Chandra. Chandrasekhar, whose household title means “moon crown”, made many vital contributions to astrophysics. His most necessary was determining the Chandrasekhar restrict, the utmost mass a white dwarf stellar remnant might be earlier than it collapses and kinds a black gap.
It’s acceptable to call an X-ray telescope mission after a scientist who spent his life eager about the physics of black holes, as a result of X-ray telescopes play a key position in black gap analysis. X-rays are high-energy mild waves. This implies they’re produced in extraordinarily energetic environments just like the areas round black holes, the place the robust gravitational pull as a consequence of space-time’s excessive distortion causes particles to speed up to very excessive speeds. In different phrases, we see a complete different universe once we take a look at it via the lens of X-ray astronomy reasonably than the seen wavelengths of extra conventional telescopes.
Importantly, X-ray astronomy can’t be performed from Earth’s floor as a result of our environment blocks X-rays. That’s good for human well being, however not so nice for astronomers. Thus, Chandra serves as a reminder of how necessary it’s to maintain low Earth orbit freed from particles: we’d like to have the ability to safely launch house telescopes that do work we merely can’t handle from the bottom.
I really feel that I’ve grown up with Chandra, and never simply because attending college at Chandra headquarters, now often called the Middle for Astrophysics (CfA) in Massachusetts, meant being mistakenly referred to as “Chandra” quite a bit. Certainly one of my undergraduate lab tasks was calibrating the light-collecting a part of a back-up digicam for Chandra. The next 12 months, I wrote my undergraduate thesis below the supervision of X-ray astronomy professional Martin Elvis. My analysis centered on winds of particles that fly out of galaxies which might be residence to supermassive black holes. I used Chandra knowledge to analyse what construction these galaxies would possibly take. I do know for a incontrovertible fact that Martin’s letter secured my admission into at the very least one PhD programme. In different phrases, with out Chandra, my profession would possibly by no means have launched.
I’m one in every of hundreds of scientists throughout physics and astronomy who can inform the same story about how Chandra knowledge has supplied the inspiration for his or her early profession steps, or who’ve devoted their lives to exploring cosmic mysteries utilizing Chandra. Laura Lopez at The Ohio State College has lengthy used Chandra to analysis supernovae. Daniel Castro, now a employees scientist on the CfA, does the identical. The three of us have been all postdoctoral researchers collectively on the Massachusetts Institute of Know-how, a part of a technology raised on the ability of the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Immediately, after 25 years in orbit, Chandra is below risk – not from house particles or the realities of ageing gear, however as an alternative from political winds. US President Joe Biden’s political appointees on the head of NASA just lately sought to wind down the venture, however the scientific neighborhood has labored with Congress to save lots of the mission. However issues received’t be the identical. The compromise, but to be signed into legislation, includes considerably defunding and limiting the scientific attain of Chandra. There isn’t any scientific argument for doing this, particularly towards the suggestions {of professional} advisors. Even so, NASA has reduce grants that have been already promised to scientists, leaving PhD college students and postdoctoral researchers with out anticipated funding that covers the salaries they stay on.
Chandra deserves higher, and so does its international viewers. Because of Chandra, we’ve found new neutron stars and realized about their interiors. Our data of black holes has blossomed. We higher perceive the stellar life cycle and the historical past of our galaxy. We have now been capable of situate the Milky Method in context, finding out galaxy clusters and studying about how darkish matter is distributed in them. There may be nonetheless time to save lots of Chandra, which is a monument to human ingenuity. The actual fact it’s nonetheless going robust after 25 years ought to be celebrated, and honoured by persevering with the mission.
Chanda’s week
What I’m studying
A buddy gave me a replica of Andreea Kindryd’s From Slavery to the Stars: A private journey, and it’s stunning.
What I’m watching
I’ve been watching traditional episodes of Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology like “Remember Me”.
What I’m engaged on
I’m growing a brand new course that can put together college students to grasp science in social context.
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is an affiliate professor of physics and astronomy, and a core school member in girls’s research on the College of New Hampshire. Her most up-to-date e-book is The Disordered Cosmos: A journey into darkish matter, spacetime, and desires deferred
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