Jump to content

25 Years On, Chandra Highlights Legacy of NASA Engineering Ingenuity


Recommended Posts

  • Publishers
Posted
5 Min Read

25 Years On, Chandra Highlights Legacy of NASA Engineering Ingenuity

An artist’s illustration depicting NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory in flight, with a vivid star field behind it. Chandra’s solar panels are deployed and its camera “eye” open on the cosmos.

By Rick Smith

“The art of aerospace engineering is a matter of seeing around corners,” said NASA thermal analyst Jodi Turk. In the case of NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, marking its 25th anniversary in space this year, some of those corners proved to be as far as 80,000 miles away and a quarter-century in the future.

Turk is part of a dedicated team of engineers, designers, test technicians, and analysts at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Together with partners outside and across the agency, including the Chandra Operations Control Center in Burlington, Massachusetts, they keep the spacecraft flying, enabling Chandra’s ongoing studies of black holes, supernovae, dark matter, and more – and deepening our understanding of the origin and evolution of the cosmos.

Engineers in the X-ray Calibration Facility – now the world-class X-ray & Cryogenic Facility – at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, integrate the Chandra X-ray Observatory’s High Resolution Camera with the mirror assembly inside a 24-foot-diameter vacuum chamber, in this photo taken March 16, 1997. Chandra was launched July 23, 1999, aboard space shuttle Columbia. (NASA) Engineers in head-to-toe cleanroom suits conduct final integration of the Chandra X-ray Observatory’s sensitive camera equipment and high-powered mirror assembly, working inside a mammoth, tube-like vacuum chamber at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
Engineers in the X-ray Calibration Facility – now the world-class X-ray & Cryogenic Facility – at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, integrate the Chandra X-ray Observatory’s High Resolution Camera with the mirror assembly inside a 24-foot-diameter vacuum chamber, in this photo taken March 16, 1997. Chandra was launched July 23, 1999, aboard space shuttle Columbia.
NASA

“Everything Chandra has shown us over the last 25 years – the formation of galaxies and super star clusters, the behavior and evolution of supermassive black holes, proof of dark matter and gravitational wave events, the viability of habitable exoplanets – has been fascinating,” said retired NASA astrophysicist Martin Weisskopf, who led Chandra scientific development at Marshall beginning in the late 1970s. “Chandra has opened new windows in astrophysics that we’d hardly begun to imagine in the years prior to launch.”

Following extensive development and testing by a contract team managed and led by Marshall, Chandra was lifted to space aboard the space shuttle Columbia on July 23, 1999. Marshall has continued to manage the program for NASA ever since.

“How much technology from 1999 is still in use today?” said Chandra researcher Douglas Swartz. “We don’t use the same camera equipment, computers, or phones from that era. But one technological success – Chandra – is still going strong, and still so powerful that it can read a stop sign from 12 miles away.”

That lasting value is no accident. During early concept development, Chandra – known prior to launch as the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility – was intended to be a 15-year, serviceable mission like that of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, enabling periodic upgrades by visiting astronauts.

But in the early 1990s, as NASA laid plans to build the International Space Station in orbit, the new X-ray observatory’s budget was revised. A new, elliptical orbit would carry Chandra a third of the way to the Moon, or roughly 80,000 miles from Earth at apogee. That meant a shorter mission life – five years – and no periodic servicing.

sts093-705-020~large.jpg?w=1920&h=1920&f
The Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the longest cargo ever carried to space aboard the space shuttle, seen in Columbia’s payload bay prior to being tilted upward for release and deployment on July 23, 1999.
NASA

The engineering design team at Marshall, its contractors, and the mission support team at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory revised their plan, minimizing the impact to Chandra’s science. In doing so, they enabled a long-running science mission so successful that it would capture the imagination of the nation and lead NASA to extend its duration past that initial five-year period.

“There was a lot of excitement and a lot of challenges – but we met them and conquered them,” said Marshall project engineer David Hood, who joined the Chandra development effort in 1988.

“The field of high-powered X-ray astronomy was still so relatively young, it wasn’t just a matter of building a revolutionary observatory,” Weisskopf said. “First, we had to build the tools necessary to test, analyze, and refine the hardware.”

Marshall renovated and expanded its X-ray Calibration Facility – now known as the X-ray & Cryogenic Facility – to calibrate Chandra’s instruments and conduct space-like environment testing of sensitive hardware. That work would, years later, pave the way for Marshall testing of advanced mirror optics for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.

sts093-706-035~large.jpg?w=1911&h=1919&f
On July 23, 1999, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory is released from space shuttle Columbia’s payload bay. Twenty-five years later, Chandra continues to make valuable discoveries about high-energy sources and phenomena across the universe.
NASA

“Marshall has a proven history of designing for long-term excellence and extending our lifespan margins,” Turk said. “Our missions often tend to last well past their end date.”

Chandra is a case in point. The team has automated some of Chandra’s operations for efficiency. They also closely monitor key elements of the spacecraft, such as its thermal protection system, which have degraded as anticipated over time, due to the punishing effects of the space environment.

“Chandra’s still a workhorse, but one that needs gentler handling,” Turk said. The team met that challenge by meticulously modeling and tracking Chandra’s position and behavior in orbit and paying close attention to radiation, changes in momentum, and other obstacles. They have also employed creative approaches, making use of data from sensors on the spacecraft in new ways.

Acting project manager Andrew Schnell, who leads the Chandra team at Marshall, said the mission’s length means the spacecraft is now overseen by numerous “third-generation engineers” such as Turk. He said they’re just as dedicated and driven as their senior counterparts, who helped deliver Chandra to launch 25 years ago.

An artist’s illustration depicting NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory in flight, with a vivid star field behind it. Chandra’s solar panels are deployed and its camera “eye” open on the cosmos.
An artist’s illustration depicting NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory in flight, with a vivid star field behind it. Chandra’s solar panels are deployed and its camera “eye” open on the cosmos.
NASA

The work also provides a one-of-a-kind teaching opportunity, Turk said. “Troubleshooting Chandra has taught us how to find alternate solutions for everything from an interrupted sensor reading to aging thermocouples, helping us more accurately diagnose issues with other flight hardware and informing design and planning for future missions,” she said.

Well-informed, practically trained engineers and scientists are foundational to productive teams, Hood said – a fact so crucial to Chandra’s success that its project leads and support engineers documented the experience in a paper titled, “Lessons We Learned Designing and Building the Chandra Telescope.”

“Former program manager Fred Wojtalik said it best: ‘Teams win,’” Hood said. “The most important person on any team is the person doing their work to the best of their ability, with enthusiasm and pride. That’s why I’m confident Chandra’s still got some good years ahead of her. Because that foundation has never changed.”

As Chandra turns the corner on its silver anniversary, the team on the ground is ready for whatever fresh challenge comes next.

Learn more about the Chandra X-ray Observatory and its mission here:

https://www.nasa.gov/chandra

https://cxc.harvard.edu

Media Contact:

Jonathan Deal / Lane Figueroa
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
256-544-0034
jonathan.e.deal@nasa.gov / lane.e.figueroa@nasa.gov

View the full article

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Similar Topics

    • By NASA
      A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft is launched on NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23 mission to the International Space Station on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025.Credit: NASA NASA is sending more science, technology demonstrations, and crew supplies to the International Space Station following the successful launch of the agency’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23 mission, or Northrop Grumman CRS-23.
      The company’s Cygnus XL spacecraft, carrying more than 11,000 pounds of cargo to the orbiting laboratory, lifted off at 6:11 p.m. EDT Sunday on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This mission is the first flight of the larger, more cargo-capable version of the solar-powered spacecraft. 
      Cygnus XL is scheduled to be captured at 6:35 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17, by the Canadarm2 robotic arm, which NASA astronaut Jonny Kim will operate with assistance from NASA astronaut Zena Cardman. Following capture, the spacecraft will be installed to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port for cargo unloading.
      The resupply mission is carrying dozens of research experiments that will be conducted during Expedition 73, including materials to produce semiconductor crystals in space and equipment to develop improvements for cryogenic fuel tanks. The spacecraft also will deliver a specialized UV light system to prevent the growth of microbe communities that form in water systems and supplies to produce pharmaceutical crystals that could treat cancer and other diseases.
      These are just a sample of the hundreds of scientific investigations conducted aboard the station in the areas of biology and biotechnology, Earth and space science, physical sciences, as well as technology development and demonstrations. For nearly 25 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory, where astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods of time. The space station is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy and NASA’s next great leaps in exploration, including Artemis missions to the Moon and American astronaut missions to Mars.
      NASA’s arrival, capture, and installation coverage are as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):
      Wednesday, Sept. 17
      5 a.m. – Arrival coverage begins on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and more.
      6:35 a.m. – Capture of Cygnus XL with the space station’s robotic arm.
      8 a.m. – Installation coverage begins on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and more.
      All coverage times are estimates and could be adjusted based on operations after launch. Follow the space station blog for the most up-to-date information.
      Cygnus XL is scheduled to remain at the orbiting laboratory until March 2026, before it departs and disposes of several thousand pounds of trash through its re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, where it will harmlessly burn up. The spacecraft is named the S.S. William “Willie” C. McCool, in honor of the NASA astronaut who perished in 2003 during the space shuttle Columbia accident.
      Learn more about this NASA commercial resupply mission at:
      https://www.nasa.gov/mission/nasas-northrop-grumman-crs-23/
      -end-
      Josh Finch / Jimi Russell
      Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1100
      joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov
      Steven Siceloff
      Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
      321-876-2468
      steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov
      Sandra Jones / Joseph Zakrzewski
      Johnson Space Center, Houston
      281-483-5111
      sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Sep 14, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
      International Space Station (ISS) Commercial Resupply ISS Research Johnson Space Center Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply View the full article
    • By NASA
      NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 23 Rendezvous and Capture
    • By Amazing Space
      NASA / SPACEX CRS-23 ISS RESUPPLY LAUNCH LIVE
    • By Amazing Space
      Live Video from the International Space Station (Seen From The NASA ISS Live Stream)
    • By NASA
      Credit: NASA NASA has selected Troy Sierra JV, LLC of Huntsville, Alabama, to provide engineering, research, and scientific support at the agency’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.  
      The Test Facility Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering Services III contract is a cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum potential value of approximately $388.3 million. The performance period begins Jan. 1, 2026, with a three-year base period followed by a two-year option, and a potential six-month extension through June 2031.
      This contract will provide and manage the engineering, technical, manufacturing, development, operations, maintenance, inspection, and certification support services needed to conduct aerospace testing in NASA Glenn’s facilities and laboratories.
      For information about NASA and other agency programs, visit:
      https://www.nasa.gov
      -end-
      Tiernan Doyle
      Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1600
      tiernan.doyle@nasa.gov
      Jan Wittry
      Glenn Research Center, Cleveland
      216-433-5466
      jan.m.wittry-1@nasa.gov
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Sep 12, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
      Glenn Research Center View the full article
  • Check out these Videos

×
×
  • Create New...