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β€œNot a bluff”—NASA’s budget would shut down long-lived Chandra telescope

24 July 2024 at 21:50
Artist's illustration of the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

Enlarge / Artist's illustration of the Chandra X-ray Observatory. (credit: NASA/MSFC)

NASA launched the Chandra X-ray Observatory 25 years ago this week, opening a new eye on the Universe and giving astronomers vision into unimaginably violent cosmic environments like exploding stars and black holes. But Chandra's mission may soon end as NASA's science division faces a nearly billion-dollar budget shortfall.

NASA says it can no longer afford to fund Chandra at the levels it has since the telescope launched in 1999. The agency has a diminished budget for science missions this year, and the reductions may continue next year due to government spending caps in a deal reached between Congress and the Biden administration last year to suspend the federal debt ceiling.

Congress and the White House have prioritized funding for NASA's human spaceflight programs, primarily the rockets, spacecraft, landers, spacesuits, and rovers needed for the Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon. Meanwhile, the funding level for NASA's science mission directorate has dropped.

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Stargazing Deliveries: Akio's Cosmic Journey

18 February 2024 at 21:30
Akio making deliveries for Mr. Nice Guy


Β In the shadow-lit alleys of Osaka, where whispers tell tales of the unseen, there existed a courier service known to a select few as "Mister Nice Guy & Co." Contrary to what the name suggested, this was no ordinary delivery service. It was the lifeline of a secret gang that operated beneath the city's bustling veneer, and at the heart of its operations was a young courier named Akio.


Akio was not your typical courier. With an unassuming demeanor and a bike that zipped through the city like a whisper of wind, he was the gang's most reliable link to the outside world. His deliveries ranged from innocuous parcels to items whose contents were better left unquestioned. Akio, however, was driven by a sense of duty and the thrill of the ride, not by the shadows that danced in the world he served.


One evening, as dusk painted the sky in shades of fire and ash, Akio received a package that would change the course of his life. It was heavier than usual, wrapped in layers of nondescript brown paper, and it bore no destination, only a note: "Deliver to the one who dreams of stars." Intrigued and somewhat bemused, Akio set out into the night, his heart a compass guided by the cryptic message.


His journey took him through the veins of Osaka, from its pulsating center to its quiet, forgotten edges. He encountered characters of all shades, each a thread in the city's intricate tapestry, but none who claimed to dream of stars. It wasn't until Akio reached the city's outskirts, where the neon lights faded into the gentle glow of the countryside, that he found his answer.


In a small, secluded observatory, Akio met Hina, a young astronomer whose eyes held the universe. She spoke of constellations and distant galaxies, of black holes and the cosmic dance of celestial bodies. As Akio listened, mesmerized, he realized that the package he carried was meant for her. Inside were rare astronomical equipment and notes from a fellow astronomer who had once promised to help Hina reach the stars but had disappeared into the night.


Moved by her passion and the mysterious connection that had brought him to her doorstep, Akio decided to stay and assist Hina with her research. Together, they unraveled the mysteries of the cosmos, their nights filled with stargazing and their days with discoveries that bridged the gap between earth and the heavens.


As for "Mister Nice Guy & Co.," they continued their clandestine operations, but Akio's deliveries became less frequent. He had found a new purpose, one that transcended the dim alleys and shadowy dealings of his past. In the vastness of the universe, he had discovered a light bright enough to illuminate even the darkest corners of Osaka.

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