Carlos Vargas

Pioneering Emission Mapping of the Circumgalactic Medium with Aspera: Mission Progress and Lessons Learned.

For over half a century, observational astrophysics has sought to detect and map warm-hot phase ‘coronal’ gas in the circumgalactic medium (CGM), one of the most massive baryonic components of galaxies. Despite its importance to galaxy evolution, this gas phase remains entirely unmapped in the nearby universe, with morphological characteristics impossible to determine through pencil-beam absorption studies. Recent advances in FUV optics and microchannel plate detectors, combined with the emergence of science-focused SmallSat missions, have created new opportunities for ambitious investigations. I present Aspera (PI: C. Vargas): a FUV NASA mission to detect and map warm-hot CGM emission in nearby galaxies for the first time by targeting the O VI emission line doublet. Selected in the inaugural NASA Astrophysics Pioneers Program ($20M), Aspera has completed payload integration and is scheduled for launch in 2026. I will also discuss preliminary results from the National Study on Poverty in Astronomy which reveals systemic financial barriers affecting career participation in our field and connects to broader questions of accessibility in space science.