1
00:00:04,950 --> 00:00:02,790
it's hard to decide how history will

2
00:00:07,030 --> 00:00:04,960
view my accomplishments

3
00:00:10,629 --> 00:00:07,040
people generally aren't terribly

4
00:00:12,230 --> 00:00:10,639
interested in what gets things started

5
00:00:15,509 --> 00:00:12,240
and so i'm not sure they're going to

6
00:00:17,670 --> 00:00:15,519
have much of an idea of my role

7
00:00:20,070 --> 00:00:17,680
nancy grace roman served as the first

8
00:00:21,510 --> 00:00:20,080
chief of astronomy in nasa's office of

9
00:00:23,509 --> 00:00:21,520
space science

10
00:00:26,070 --> 00:00:23,519
the first woman to hold an executive

11
00:00:27,670 --> 00:00:26,080
position within the agency

12
00:00:29,750 --> 00:00:27,680
she was instrumental in the early

13
00:00:32,630 --> 00:00:29,760
planning of nasa's first great space

14
00:00:34,709 --> 00:00:32,640
observatory the hubble space telescope

15
00:00:36,470 --> 00:00:34,719
earning her the nickname the mother of

16
00:00:38,869 --> 00:00:36,480
hubble

17
00:00:41,110 --> 00:00:38,879
to honor her nasa has given her name to

18
00:00:43,830 --> 00:00:41,120
one of its most powerful upcoming space

19
00:00:46,709 --> 00:00:43,840
observatories

20
00:00:49,029 --> 00:00:46,719
the wide field infrared survey telescope

21
00:00:49,850 --> 00:00:49,039
is now the nancy grace roman space

22
00:00:51,590 --> 00:00:49,860
telescope

23
00:00:54,229 --> 00:00:51,600
[Music]

24
00:00:56,310 --> 00:00:54,239
nancy grace was born in 1925 and

25
00:00:59,830 --> 00:00:56,320
developed an interest in astronomy at an

26
00:01:02,389 --> 00:00:59,840
early age i just was fascinated

27
00:01:05,109 --> 00:01:02,399
one between fifth and sixth grade i

28
00:01:08,390 --> 00:01:05,119
organized my friends into an astronomy

29
00:01:10,550 --> 00:01:08,400
club to study the constellations

30
00:01:12,950 --> 00:01:10,560
i certainly did not receive any

31
00:01:14,469 --> 00:01:12,960
encouragement i was told from the

32
00:01:18,550 --> 00:01:14,479
beginning that

33
00:01:20,789 --> 00:01:18,560
women could not be scientists

34
00:01:23,429 --> 00:01:20,799
nancy grace persevered and graduated

35
00:01:25,590 --> 00:01:23,439
from the university of chicago in 1949

36
00:01:28,550 --> 00:01:25,600
with a doctorate in astronomy despite

37
00:01:30,950 --> 00:01:28,560
continuing to encounter discrimination

38
00:01:33,030 --> 00:01:30,960
my thesis professor there was a period

39
00:01:35,190 --> 00:01:33,040
in which he went for six months without

40
00:01:36,630 --> 00:01:35,200
speaking to me even when i said hello to

41
00:01:38,230 --> 00:01:36,640
him in the hall

42
00:01:39,749 --> 00:01:38,240
he didn't want to have anything to do

43
00:01:42,230 --> 00:01:39,759
with me

44
00:01:43,590 --> 00:01:42,240
after several years of research nasa

45
00:01:47,429 --> 00:01:43,600
came calling

46
00:01:49,590 --> 00:01:47,439
i started in nasa in 1959

47
00:01:52,310 --> 00:01:49,600
it was six months old

48
00:01:54,950 --> 00:01:52,320
being the first executive woman at nasa

49
00:01:56,230 --> 00:01:54,960
turned out not to be terribly

50
00:01:59,350 --> 00:01:56,240
eventful

51
00:02:02,069 --> 00:01:59,360
i was accepted very readily as a

52
00:02:05,109 --> 00:02:02,079
scientist in my job

53
00:02:06,870 --> 00:02:05,119
during her 21 years at nasa dr roman was

54
00:02:09,270 --> 00:02:06,880
involved in the development and launch

55
00:02:11,990 --> 00:02:09,280
of many space-based observatories which

56
00:02:13,589 --> 00:02:12,000
studied the sun deep space and the

57
00:02:16,070 --> 00:02:13,599
earth's atmosphere

58
00:02:17,830 --> 00:02:16,080
her most enduring legacy at nasa was the

59
00:02:19,910 --> 00:02:17,840
planning of hubble and its science

60
00:02:21,910 --> 00:02:19,920
program she did much of the early

61
00:02:23,990 --> 00:02:21,920
advocacy and established the program

62
00:02:26,309 --> 00:02:24,000
structure which laid the foundation for

63
00:02:27,990 --> 00:02:26,319
other large nasa missions that followed

64
00:02:29,910 --> 00:02:28,000
and helped convince the astronomical

65
00:02:30,949 --> 00:02:29,920
community to support astronomy from

66
00:02:33,830 --> 00:02:30,959
space

67
00:02:35,589 --> 00:02:33,840
after retiring from nasa dr roman stayed

68
00:02:37,270 --> 00:02:35,599
involved in the space community and

69
00:02:39,430 --> 00:02:37,280
received numerous awards for her

70
00:02:41,990 --> 00:02:39,440
pioneering work

71
00:02:44,229 --> 00:02:42,000
over her career she inspired generations

72
00:02:46,630 --> 00:02:44,239
of young astronomers

73
00:02:49,589 --> 00:02:46,640
now with the nancy grace roman space

74
00:02:50,470 --> 00:02:49,599
telescope her legacy can continue to

75
00:02:52,920 --> 00:02:50,480
inspire