Top Ten Amazing Facts About The Chandra
Fact #10Chandra will fly 200 times higher than Hubble - more than 1/3 of the way to the moon!

Fact #9Chandra will be observing X-rays from clouds of gas so vast that it takes light five million years to go from one side to the other!

Fact #8During maneuvers from one target to the next, Chandra slews more slowly than the minute hand on a clock.

Fact #7At 45 feet long, Chandra is the largest satellite the shuttle has ever launched!

Fact #6If Colorado were as smooth as Chandra's mirrors, Pikes Peak would be less than one inch tall!

Fact #5Chandra's resolving power is equivalent to the ability to read a stop sign at a distance of twelve miles.

Fact #4The electrical power required to operate the Chandra spacecraft and instruments is 2 kilowatts, about the same power as a hair dryer.

Fact #3The light from some of the quasars observed by Chandra will have been traveling through space for ten billion years.

Fact #2STS-93, the space mission that will deploy Chandra, is the first NASA shuttle mission commanded by a woman.

Fact #1Chandra can observe x-rays from particles up to the last second before they fall into a black hole!!!



For more information on the Top Ten Facts, see  Behind the Facts section.

[ TOP 10 FACTS] ABOUT [CHANDRA X-RAY OBSERVATORY ] AND [MORE ON CHANDRA]