Dr Nancy Grace Roman, first chief of astronomy of NASA and namesake of the Roman telescope of Nancy GraceBriefs Astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin on celestial objects in 1965 in Washington, DC Nancy Grace Roman died on December 25, 2018 in Germantown, Maryland at the age of 93. May 16, 2025, would have been his 100th birthday.
Before joining NASA in 1959, Dr. Roman was a highly respected and influential astronomer, publishing some of the most cited articles in the middle of 20th century, a inclusive in a list of 100 most influential articles in 100 years. At the agency, Roman worked to obtain scientific support for space observatories. She created scientific scientific science and airborne science of NASA, supervised the beginning of the Grand Program of the Observatory with the first decade of the development of Hubble Space Telescope, and invested early in aircraft with a load of technological development used on Hubble – and now in digital cameras everywhere.
It was also the key to the decision to link the development of the large space telescope (which has become Hubble) and the space transport system – more commonly known as space shuttle. Finally, after retiring from NASA, Dr. Roman has often worked with young students in poorly served communities, hoping that its history and mentorship could inspire them to join the quest for knowledge of humanity in a STEM field.
Text credit: NASA / Jackie Townsend
Image credit: NASA
