Astronomy in Space: From Hubble to Roman

Public talks

Tags: NASA Missions and Observatories, Astronomy, SETI Talks

Time: Wednesday, Jul 22, 2020 -

Location: Online

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Telescopes are placed into orbit around Earth or are sent farther out into space to get a clearer view of the universe.

Thirty years ago, the U.S. launched the famous Hubble Space Telescope, whose unique design allowed astronauts to repair and upgrade it in space using advanced technology. It is one of the NASA’s longest-living and most valuable space-based observatories, beaming transformational astronomical images to Earth for decades. Hubble has fundamentally changed our understanding of the cosmos, and its story — filled with challenges overcome by innovation, determination, and the human spirit — inspires us. 

The newly named Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope – or Roman Space Telescope, (formerly known as WFIRST) – is set to launch in the mid-2020s. It will investigate long-standing astronomical mysteries, such as the force behind the universe’s expansion and search for distant planets beyond our solar system.  The Roman Space Telescope project passed a critical programmatic and technical milestone in February, earning the official green light to begin hardware development and testing.

We invited two scientists whose careers have been strongly connected with space telescopes to discuss the Hubble Space Telescope’s success and the potential of the upcoming Roman Space Telescope:

  • Professor Meg Urry, Director of the Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, studies the growth of supermassive black holes over cosmic time to understand their co-evolution with galaxies by using multiple space telescopes.
  • Dr. John Grunsfeld, an astrophysicist and astronaut went on three Space Shuttle flights to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope, including eight spacewalks.


These scientists will discuss their contribution to the Hubble Space Telescope's scientific and technological endeavor and what they expect from the future Roman telescope and the future of NASA space telescopes at large.

Molly Bentley, executive producer and co-host of the radio program and podcast, Big Picture Science, will moderate the talk.

Once again, we are planning to hold this month’s SETI Talks online. Registration is required in order to receive the link and password; however, capacity is limited. Access will be on a first come first serve basis. Once the virtual room reaches capacity, we will not be able to accommodate more people. We apologize for this inconvenience, but have experienced large numbers of registrations for people who are unable to participate at the last minute, leaving others unable to register. As always, SETI Talks will be recorded and available to everyone after it takes place.

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Meg Urry

Meg Urry is the Director of the Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics. She served as Chair of the Yale Physics Department from 2007 to 2013 and in the presidential line of the American Astronomical Society from 2013-2017. Professor Urry received her Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University and her B.S. in Physics and Mathematicsfrom Tufts University. Her scientific research focuses on active galaxies, which host accreting supermassive black holes in their centers. Prof. Urry is a Fellow of the American Astronomical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences, and was awarded the American Astronomical Society’s Annie Jump Cannon and George van Biesbroeck prizes. Prior to moving to Yale in 2001, Prof. Urry was a senior astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which runs the Hubble Space Telescope for NASA. Professor Urry is known for her efforts to increase the number of women in the physical sciences, for which she won the 2010 Women in Space Science Award from the Adler Planetarium, and she writes on science for CNN.com. 

John M. Grunsfeld

John M. Grunsfeld served as Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. from January 2012-2016. He previously served as the Deputy Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, managing the science program for the Hubble Space Telescope and the forthcoming James Webb Space Telescope. Grunsfeld's background includes research in high energy astrophysics, cosmic ray physics, planetary science, and in the emerging field of exoplanet studies with specific interest in future astronomical instrumentation.

Grunsfeld joined NASA's Astronaut Office in 1992. He is veteran of five space shuttle flights, and visited Hubble three times during these missions. He also performed eight spacewalks to service and upgrade the observatory. He logged more than 58 days in space on his shuttle missions, including 58 hours and 30 minutes of spacewalk time. Grunsfeld first flew to space aboard Endeavour in March 1995 on a mission that studied the far ultraviolet spectra of faint astronomical objects using the Astro-2 Observatory. His second flight was aboard Atlantis in January 1997. The mission docked with the Russian space station Mir, exchanged U.S. astronauts living aboard the outpost, and performed scientific research using the Biorack payload. He also flew on Discovery in December 1999, Columbia in March 2002 and Atlantis in May 2009. This last flight successfully serviced and upgraded the Hubble Space Telescope, during which he was lead spacewalker for Hubble servicing activities. In 2004 and 2005, he served as the commander and science officer on the backup crew for Expedition 13 to the International Space Station.

Grunsfeld graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in physics. He subsequently earned a master's degree and, in 1988, a doctorate in physics from the University of Chicago using a cosmic ray experiment on space shuttle Challenger for his doctoral thesis. From Chicago, he joined the faculty of the California Institute of Technology as a Senior Research Fellow in Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy.