Author: Cassie Martin / Source: Science News
Nancy Roman, a groundbreaking astronomer known as the “Mother of Hubble,” died on December 25 at the age of 93.
As NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy, Roman oversaw the early planning and development of the Hubble Space Telescope (SN: 10/10/64, p. 231) as well as other space observatories and satellites. “I knew that taking on this responsibility would mean that I could no longer do research, but the challenge of formulating a program from scratch that I believed would influence astronomy for decades to come was too great to resist,” she once said in an interview.
Roman pitched the Hubble project relentlessly, lobbying for early funding and writing testimony for NASA representatives to help convince Congress to invest in one of the most expensive scientific instruments ever made.
Eleven years after she retired, astronauts aboard the space shuttle Discovery deployed the $1.5 billion telescope in 1990, making Hubble the first optical telescope to operate in space. Because it orbits far above Earth’s atmosphere, the telescope is unencumbered by clouds, rain and light pollution, giving astronomers and the public an unprecedented view of the universe.
During its nearly 30 years in orbit, Hubble Space Telescope has spied numerous cosmic wonders — from exoplanets and hints…
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