Nancy Roman
American astronomer (1925–2018) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Nancy Grace Roman (May 16, 1925 – December 25, 2018) was an American astronomer who made important contributions to stellar classification and motions. The first female executive at NASA, Roman served as NASA's first Chief of Astronomy throughout the 1960s and 1970s, establishing her as one of the "visionary founders of the US civilian space program".[1]
Nancy Roman | |
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Born | Nancy Grace Roman (1925-05-16)May 16, 1925 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
Died | December 25, 2018(2018-12-25) (aged 93) Germantown, Maryland, U.S. |
Alma mater | Swarthmore College, University of Chicago |
Known for | Planning of the Hubble Space Telescope |
Awards | See list
|
Scientific career | |
Fields | Astronomy |
Institutions | Yerkes Observatory, University of Chicago, NASA, Naval Research Laboratory |
Thesis | Ursa Major Moving Group (1949) |
Doctoral advisor | William Wilson Morgan |
Other academic advisors | W.W. Morgan, Peter van de Kamp |
Roman created NASA's space astronomy program and is known to many as the "Mother of Hubble" for her foundational role in planning the Hubble Space Telescope.[2] Throughout her career, Roman was an active public speaker and educator, and an advocate for women in the sciences.
In May 2020, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced that the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope would be named the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in recognition of her enduring contributions to astronomy.[3]