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Revealing the Universe: The making of the Chandra X-ray Observatory by
Wallace Tucker and Karen Tucker, Harvard University Press,
£19.50/$27.95, ISBN 0674004973

MAKING things happen at NASA is hard. And after reading this account of how a
dedicated band of pioneers created the orbiting Chandra X-ray observatory,
you’ll wonder how anyone ever has the patience, stamina and sheer tenacity to
see anything through at NASA.

Thirty-odd years of blood, sweat and tears lie between the Chandra proposal
in 1970 and its triumphal launch by the space shuttle in 1999. But what a reward
for the sacrifices of all those involved.…

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