NASA Interview Opportunity: NASA’s Groundbreaking New Space Telescope Is Days Away From Launching!

Quick Summary:

Countdown is on: NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will launch from the Kennedy Space Center as early as August 30 on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.

Wide high-resolution eye in space: A single, 300-megapixel image from the Roman Space Telescope is so large you’d need about 37 individual 4K Ultra HD screens tiled together to display a snapshot at its native resolution.

A closer look at our Milky Way galaxy: Roman’s repeated, wide-angle infrared surveys of the Milky Way galaxy will create the largest census of the stars and planets at the galaxy’s star-studded core, revealing around 100,000 new worlds.

First-of-its-kind planet spotter: Roman is equipped with "starglasses" that allow its internal mirrors and filters to shapeshift in real-time to dim the glare of nearby stars to reveal orbiting planets and debris disks.

Cosmic time-lapse: By repeatedly photographing the same wide swaths of space, Roman’s data will create high-resolution time-lapses of the universe in motion.

The countdown is on! Humanity’s next great cosmic explorer, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, is scheduled to launch as early as August 30 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Named after NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy, Dr. Nancy Grace Roman, this groundbreaking observatory will reveal the universe’s deepest mysteries — one breathtaking panoramic view at a time. And this observatory is launching an impressive nine months ahead of schedule!

Roman is an engineering marvel designed to map the universe at unprecedented scales. At its heart is a giant panoramic lens known as the Wide Field Instrument, powered by 18 4k detectors that will deliver huge, razor-sharp images, revealing nearly a billion galaxies. Roman will also investigate closer to home, creating a 3D map of our Milky Way galaxy and compiling the most comprehensive census of the stars and planets crowded around the galaxy’s core. This high-speed telescope will generate a staggering 1.4 terabytes of data daily — all publicly available.

As the most stable space telescope NASA has ever built, the observatory can quickly scan wide swaths of the sky without losing its sharp focus. This capability will give Roman a front-row seat to witness the universe’s most elusive events, from violent stellar explosions to stars being ripped apart by a black hole.

Also on board is a cutting-edge Coronograph Instrument that blocks most of the light of nearby stars to directly image Jupiter-sized planets that would otherwise be lost in the glare. As a technology demonstration, this coronograph will pave the way for future observatories to hunt for smaller, Earth-like worlds.

From probing the true nature of dark energy to discovering new galaxies, Roman will reshape our understanding of the cosmos and our place in it.

One-on-one remote interviews are available on the following days:
- Thursday, August 27, from 6 a.m. - 3 p.m. EDT
- Saturday, August 29, from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. EDT
- Click here to request an interview: https://forms.gle/66TJSdaVy3hQyCxWA
- Requests sent via the above form will have scheduling priority.
- Please do not email requests.

For more information check out:
- nasa.gov/roman
- Frequently Asked questions about Roman
- On social media @NASARoman

Suggested Anchor Intro:
Somewhere out in the dark, the universe is hiding the answers to humanity’s biggest questions. This weekend NASA will launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to uncover those answers — one panoramic picture at a time.

Joining us now is xxx from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to tell us more about the Roman Space Telescope and its upcoming launch!

Suggested Questions:
1. This weekend NASA will launch its newest space telescope, and it’s a powerhouse. Can you start by introducing us to this new telescope, and tell us what it will do?
2. Roman will tackle some of humanity’s biggest questions about the universe. What types of discoveries are you most excited for?
3. One of Roman’s science goals is to map our Milky Way galaxy. Can you talk about some of the things we don’t understand about our galactic neighborhood?
4. How does Roman fit into the family tree of other great observatories like NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope?
5. How soon after launch can we expect to see Roman’s first images?
6. How can our viewers keep up to date on this mission and watch the launch? [nasa.gov/roman]

Other questions:
7. Can you talk about the sheer volume of data Roman will be returning with its massive panoramic view?
8. Nearly every planet that’s been discovered outside our solar system has been found relatively close by. How will Roman’s unique capabilities be a game-changer for finding planets much farther away?
9. Roman is launching an impressive nine months ahead of schedule! Tell us about your role on this mission and what it’s been like to work on this telescope.
10. Can you talk about the unique orbit Roman will be in, and why that location was chosen for this mission?
11. This telescope is named after Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy. How does this mission carry on her legacy?

See the following sources:

• https://science.nasa.gov/mission/roman-space-telescope/
• https://science.nasa.gov/mission/roman-space-telescope/frequently-asked-questions/
• https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/roman/
• https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/dark-energy/