Knowra Nancy Grace Roman Nancy Grace Roman Nancy Grace Roman was an American astronomer and NASA executive who became its first chief of astronomy and helped establish the Hubble Space Telescope program.
Edwin Hubble : Edwin Hubble was an American astronomer whose observations established that galaxies exist beyond the Milky Way and that the universe is expanding. Roman championed a space telescope that would extend the kind of astronomical observation associated with Hubble.
Hubble Space Telescope : The Hubble Space Telescope is a space observatory launched in 1990 that observes the universe across ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared wavelengths. Roman helped build the scientific and political support that led to its development.
University of Chicago : The University of Chicago is a private research university founded in 1890 in Chicago, Illinois. Roman earned her doctorate in astronomy there and began her professional research career.
Stellar spectroscopy : Stellar spectroscopy analyzes the light of stars to infer their composition, temperature, motion, and physical conditions. Roman used stellar spectra to investigate stars and the structure of the Milky Way.
Space Telescope Science Institute : The Space Telescope Science Institute operates the science program for NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and other observatories. Its role in operating Hubble reflects the scientific infrastructure built around the telescope Roman helped promote.
Lyman Spitzer : Lyman Spitzer was an American astrophysicist who proposed placing large telescopes in space to avoid atmospheric distortion. His early advocacy for space telescopes helped shape the scientific case Roman advanced at NASA.
Great Observatories program : NASA’s Great Observatories program comprised four space telescopes designed to study the universe across different wavelengths. Roman’s advocacy for a major optical space telescope anticipated NASA’s coordinated observatory strategy.
University of California, Berkeley : The University of California, Berkeley is a public research university in Berkeley, California. Roman completed her undergraduate studies in astronomy at Berkeley.
High-velocity stars : High-velocity stars move unusually rapidly relative to the Sun or the surrounding stellar population. Roman’s research on these stars helped reveal differences between stellar populations in the Galaxy.
Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions : Hubble servicing missions were Space Shuttle flights that repaired, upgraded, and maintained the orbiting telescope. The missions sustained the observatory whose realization was central to Roman’s legacy.
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