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Cash-strapped NASA announced last week that it has set aside $60
million a year to operate the Chandra X-Ray Observatory for a full decade.
Launched in July 1999, Chandra was the third of NASA’s “Great Observatories” to
get into orbit. Tight budgets have forced NASA to shut down some long-lived
spacecraft, but the agency didn’t want to take risks with the $1.5
billion Chandra. Managers have earmarked enough money “to carry missions for as
many years as they would be productive,” says Alan Bunner, NASA programme
scientist for Chandra.