Nancy Roman

Nancy Roman, NASA's first Chief of Astronomy and the architect of the Hubble Space Telescope, was discouraged from pursuing science throughout her academic career.

Nicknamed the "mother of Hubble," Nancy Roman gave lectures on the potential of space science, coordinated between astronomers and engineers, and secured government funding for the space telescope.

Nancy Roman's research included a paper that provided insights into the formation of the Milky Way galaxy, which the Astrophysical Journal selected as one of the 100 most important papers during its first century of publication.

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope—the first major NASA space telescope named after a woman—is expected to survey 12% of the sky in 17 months, a feat that would take the Hubble Space Telescope over a thousand years.

During Nancy Roman's tenure as the agency's Chief of Astronomy, NASA launched Stargazer—the first successful space telescope—as part of the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory program.

Over a decade before the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, Nancy Roman oversaw the Orbiting Solar Observatory program, which launched eight spinning spacecraft into low Earth orbit to study the sun.

Among the recipients of the 1962 Federal Woman's Award—an award for women in civil service—was Nancy Roman, NASA's Chief of Astronomy and Solar Physics.

Unlike hot air balloons lifted for hours by heating air, NASA's scientific balloons use helium to lift payloads of up to 3,600 kilograms (8,000 pounds) for up to six weeks at a time.

Nancy Roman credits observing a rare and unexpected change in the light from a pair of stars with making her well known in the astronomical community before her role at NASA.

Lego's Women of NASA set honors four NASA pioneers: computer scientist Margaret Hamilton, astronaut Sally Ride, astronaut Mae Jemison, and astronomer Nancy Grace Roman.