Dr. Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy and namesake of the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope, briefs astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin on celestial objects in 1965 in Washington, D.C. Nancy Grace Roman passed away on December 25, 2018, in Germantown, Maryland at the age of 93. May 16, 2025, would have been her 100th birthday.
Prior to joining NASA in 1959, Dr. Roman was a well-respected and influential astronomer, publishing some of the most cited papers in the mid-20th century, one included in a list of 100 most influential papers in 100 years. At the agency, Roman worked to gain science support for space-based observatories. She established NASA’s scientific ballooning and airborne science, oversaw the start of the Great Observatory program with the first decade of Hubble Space Telescope development, and invested early in charge-coupled devices technology development used on Hubble – and now in digital cameras everywhere.
She was also key to the decision to link the development of the Large Space Telescope (that became Hubble) and the Space Transportation System – more commonly known as the Space Shuttle. Finally, after retiring from NASA, Dr. Roman often worked with young students in underserved communities, hoping her story and mentoring could inspire them to join humanity’s quest for knowledge in a STEM field.
Text credit: NASA/Jackie Townsend
Image credit: NASA
南希·格蕾丝·罗曼博士（Dr. Nancy Grace Roman），NASA首位天文学主管，也是南希·格蕾丝·罗曼太空望远镜的命名者，于1965年在华盛顿特区向宇航员埃德温·“巴兹”·奥尔德林（Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin）讲解天体知识。罗曼博士于2018年12月25日在马里兰州日耳曼敦逝世，享年93岁。2025年5月16日将是她的百年诞辰。
在1959年加入NASA之前，罗曼博士已是一位备受尊敬且影响深远的天文学家，发表了多篇在20世纪中叶被高度引用的论文，其中一篇更被列入百年来最具影响力的100篇论文之一。在NASA任职期间，她致力于争取科学界对太空观测台的支持，推动了NASA的科学气球和机载科学项目，领导了“大天文台计划”并监督哈勃太空望远镜的前十年开发工作，同时她也在电荷耦合器件（CCD）技术的发展上做出前瞻性投资——该技术后来广泛应用于哈勃望远镜及如今的数码相机。
此外，她在决定将大型太空望远镜（即后来的哈勃望远镜）与航天飞机计划（即太空运输系统）联结开发方面发挥了关键作用。退休后，罗曼博士积极投身于帮助欠发达社区的年轻学生，致力于通过自己的经历和指导，激励他们投身于STEM领域，加入人类探索知识的旅程。
文字来源: NASA/Jackie Townsend
图片来源: NASA
