Thank you. 

Six months ago, NASA announced plans that would have prematurely ended Chandra’s mission.

NASA reluctantly did so under immense fiscal stress on the Science Mission Directorate budget. It was up to the national community to advocate for Chandra and all of NASA Science in Congress.

The above plots show (a) the NASA Astrophysics Division (APD) Budget and (b) the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) budget (of which APD is a part) over time. The curves have been inflated to FY25 dollars using the NASA New Start Index. APD and SMD have, respectively, lost $521M and $1.1B in annual inflation-adjusted buying power relative to FY2020. Click each image to enlarge.

A national and global community of
explorers rallied to save the mission .

You shared this website.

You spread the word.

You contacted Congress.

So far, the #SaveChandra movement has resulted in tens of millions of global impressions, more than ten thousand signatories to letters of support, and more than 500 points of direct contact with members of Congress and their staff.

The above video has more than 15M views on YouTube alone

SaveChandra went viral, inspiring a wave of outreach efforts to rally support

Chandra images were even used as the backdrop for Dead & Company concerts at the Sphere in Las Vegas, and the Sonification project continues to inspire creatives around the world.

Read major letters of support from…

The global media widely reported on the movement

Your advocacy inspired action in Congress

Your visits, calls, emails, and enthusiasm for Chandra inspired a growing, bipartisan coalition of supporters in both the House and Senate.

Ultimately, #SaveChandra helped to inspire Congressional language supportive of Chandra’s continued operations in three major pieces of legislation:

While not yet law, these bills express clear, bicameral, and bipartisan congressional intent.

Members of Congress have also reached out to NASA directly…

They’ve voiced support for its continued operations publicly…

… and advocated amongst their colleagues for the growth of the NASA Science budget.

This letter, signed by 44 Members of Congress, asks House Appropriators to restore SMD’s budget to $9B, and explicitly mentions Chandra in the text of the letter.

We are grateful to policymakers for supporting the SaveChandra movement…

This is just a subset of lawmakers who have, either explicitly or through legislative support, have acted to save the observatory…

And we are grateful to you, the global SaveChandra community.

Your advocacy is working.

In response to congressional outreach and community support, NASA has paused its plans to cancel Chandra

There will be no staff layoffs until at least an FY25 approprations bill is passed…

…Chandra will continue forward with its full observing plan for 2025

The Chandra X-ray Center, which has been instrumental in educating lawmakers about Chandra’s continued excellent health and scientific relevance, has announced a world-class scientific program for 2025. The science spans the shining poles of Jupiter, to black holes at the edge of time, and everything in between. The program synergizes immensely with the James Webb and Hubble Space Telescopes, and sets us on a course toward a revolution in time domain astrophysics.

Of course, Chandra still needs your help...

all of NASA Science still needs your help...

NASA’s fiscal strain is likely to remain in the coming years, as downward budgetary pressure and the needs of major programs like Artemis continue to threaten missions like Chandra & Hubble that inspire the world.

Our mission of advocacy for NASA Science has only begun.

But for now…

Thank you.