Meeting Nancy Grace Roman: What was the 'mother of Hubble' really like?

image via Space.com

August 29, 2026, 12:00 PM

• •The article recounts a 2017 meeting between Chelsea Gohd and Nancy Grace Roman at the inaugural March for Science in Washington, D.C.
• •Nancy Grace Roman is identified as a pioneering astronomer, NASA's first chief of astronomy, and the agency's first woman in an executive position.
• •Roman is described as the "mother of Hubble" because of her critical role in realizing the Hubble Space Telescope.
• •The piece includes a brief exchange in which Roman responded to Gohd's comment about being starstruck with the joke, "You know, I have a thing for stars."
• •Bill Nye and astronaut Leland Melvin are also described greeting Roman with visible admiration.
• •The article ties this memory to the launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and to Roman's broader legacy.

The article is a first-person recollection of Chelsea Gohd meeting astronomer Nancy Grace Roman at the 2017 March for Science in Washington, D.C. It explains Roman's role as NASA's first chief of astronomy and her importance in establishing the agency's astronomy program and advancing the Hubble Space Telescope. Gohd describes Roman as witty and warm, centering on a short exchange in which Roman joked, “You know, I have a thing for stars.” The piece frames that memory as a tribute timed to the launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and to Roman's lasting legacy in astronomy and for women in science.

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