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NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launches on an eye opening mission : NPR
NPR • • science
Key Points:
- The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a $4.3 billion NASA observatory, is set to launch on August 30 and aims to study the universe's expansion and discover numerous exoplanets.
- Originally a surveillance satellite from the National Reconnaissance Office, the telescope was repurposed for astronomical use after significant modifications.
- Roman will conduct a comprehensive survey of the Milky Way in just one month, a task that would take about a century with the Hubble Space Telescope, and its data will be publicly accessible.
- The telescope will utilize gravitational microlensing to detect planets around distant stars, including those similar to Jupiter and Saturn, which are undetectable by other methods.
- Beyond planets, Roman is expected to uncover new galaxies and provide insights into the universe's large-scale structure, potentially challenging existing cosmological models.
