Figure · USA · 1925–2018
Nancy Grace Roman
Astronomer, NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy, and a pioneer of American space astronomy. Her sustained advocacy for space observatories laid the institutional foundations for the Hubble Space Telescope.
Nancy Grace Roman (1925–2018) joined NASA in 1959 and, as the agency’s first Chief of Astronomy, connected scientists, NASA leadership, and policy decisions. She championed a program of major space observatories and played a key role in moving Hubble from concept to reality. The Roman Space Telescope bears her name in recognition of that work and her advocacy for women in science.
NationalityUSA
Born16 May 1925
Died25 December 2018
FACTS
•NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy and the agency’s first woman executive.
•In 1966, she posed with a model of the future Hubble Space Telescope.
•The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has borne her name since 2020.