If a project like NGRST was cancelled and placed in storage, would it be at all feasible for it to be transferred to ESA for completion? I guess there would be many difficulties but I'm curious about whether these are primarily technical (personnel, skills, and facilities) or political (like ITAR).
Quote from: Kaputnik on 04/25/2025 01:01 pmIf a project like NGRST was cancelled and placed in storage, would it be at all feasible for it to be transferred to ESA for completion? I guess there would be many difficulties but I'm curious about whether these are primarily technical (personnel, skills, and facilities) or political (like ITAR).all
I think there's a simple explanation for why the administration is looking to kill this program. They want to close the Goddard Spaceflight Center, which is the primary NASA center for climate research and building climate oriented satellite missions. Roman and DaVinci are both Goddard projects; in the wrong place at the wrong time.
That's an interesting theory, and I wonder if I have not been crediting it sufficiently as a motivation. But then we have to consider that the first Trump Administration tried to poll-axe the Roman Telescope, too. And Russell Vought was the Deputy OMB Director at that time...and from what I gather, a driving force behind that attempt, too. Of course, at that time (2017) Roman/WFIRST was having more cost control issues, and had not yet begun construction. But it could just be that this has been driven by Vought all along, and Vought had got it into his mind early on that Roman is an expensive out of control program and can be sacrificed since we have Webb and Hubble in operation....and that the advantage of making it easier to close to Goddard is only a very secondary motivation. Other considerations which would support my suspicion in this regard:1. There are multiple ongoing Goddard missions (Webb, Hubble, SOHO, Maven, OSIRIS-APEX, SDO, etc.) that would have to be moved over to whatever other NASA center Goddard is being folded into anyway, after all.2. Vought is a man with long-time experience on the Hill (he's a former Phil Gramm staffer), and had to appreciate that his odds of actually getting congressional sign-off on killing Roman would be even lower this time around the block. While I don't doubt the sincerity of his conviction, it looks more like an opening negotiating position.But things will become clearer about all this as the summer wears on.
Quote from: Athelstane on 05/15/2025 12:34 pmThat's an interesting theory, and I wonder if I have not been crediting it sufficiently as a motivation. But then we have to consider that the first Trump Administration tried to poll-axe the Roman Telescope, too. And Russell Vought was the Deputy OMB Director at that time...and from what I gather, a driving force behind that attempt, too. Of course, at that time (2017) Roman/WFIRST was having more cost control issues, and had not yet begun construction. But it could just be that this has been driven by Vought all along, and Vought had got it into his mind early on that Roman is an expensive out of control program and can be sacrificed since we have Webb and Hubble in operation....and that the advantage of making it easier to close to Goddard is only a very secondary motivation. Other considerations which would support my suspicion in this regard:1. There are multiple ongoing Goddard missions (Webb, Hubble, SOHO, Maven, OSIRIS-APEX, SDO, etc.) that would have to be moved over to whatever other NASA center Goddard is being folded into anyway, after all.2. Vought is a man with long-time experience on the Hill (he's a former Phil Gramm staffer), and had to appreciate that his odds of actually getting congressional sign-off on killing Roman would be even lower this time around the block. While I don't doubt the sincerity of his conviction, it looks more like an opening negotiating position.But things will become clearer about all this as the summer wears on.That works as an explanation, too.They likely could keep departments (e.g., JWST support) going but have them administratively report to other centers.This administration's approach is to force cuts in staffing and by stop work orders well ahead of Congressional action. Whatever Congress wants to do, the teams won't still be there so the work can't be done. This hasn't happened at NASA yet (I have direct testimony for other federal agencies). Perhaps they are waiting for Isaacman to arrive
Every day, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope moves closer to completion. This video highlights some of the important hardware milestones from this journey. Roman now exists as two main pieces: a telescope section that includes the mirrors, instruments and support systems; and an outer section comprised of the solar panels and protective coverings. These two sections are tested separately prior to being joined together to create the complete observatory. This video, covering the first half of 2025, opens with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s SES (Space Environment Simulator.) This thermal vacuum chamber can simulate the vacuum of space and the wide temperature range that Roman will experience there: from -310° Fahrenheit (-190° C) to 302° Fahrenheit (150° C). The test versions of the Solar Array Sun Shield panels are installed onto the Outer Barrel Assembly inside Goddard’s largest clean room in preparation for testing. Multiple copies of hardware often exist, typically for testing purposes; flight hardware is the version that will actually fly in space on the final spacecraft. The flight solar panels are the only ones covered with delicate solar cells. The Outer Barrel Assembly, which is flight hardware, will protect and shade the primary mirror. With the solar panels and a deployable front cover that functions like a visor, it forms the outer, protective section of the spacecraft. Roman's telescope section is covered in a protective tent and pushed outside of the clean room using pressurized air to float it like a hovercraft. Technicians and engineers lift it onto one of two shaker tables where it undergoes vibration testing. Roman undergoes a series of tests along each axis with increasing intensity to simulate components of launch stress. For the most intense tests of each axis, the spacecraft systems are powered up to ensure that everything can handle the stress. Finally, Roman’s outer section is lowered over a structure made to simulate the telescope portion. Then it is covered in a protective tent, pushed out of the clean room, and crane-lifted into the SES chamber. With the tent around it, it’s a very tight fit and requires several rotations to clear hardware in the chamber. The tent is lifted out and the chamber closed. This outer section underwent around a month of testing at low pressure and different temperatures. Because the main tent was getting ready for Roman’s other section, a more temporary covering protected the outer section on the way out, and then technicians pushed it, uncovered, the last stretch into the clean room, giving the best-possible view of it at the end.
Power up! ☀️ Technicians recently installed solar panels onto @NASARoman. The panels will power and shade the observatory. Roman is approximately 90% complete and is scheduled to launch by May 2027 at the latest.
We’ve got our shades on for summer 😎☀️@NASA technicians recently installed Roman's solar array Sun shield! These panels will power the entire observatory and help keep the instruments cool by shading them from sunlight.
Jul 16, 2025Speakers: Dr Kristen McQuinn of the Space Telescope Science Institute, Robyn Sanderson of the University of PennsylvaniaThe Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is NASA’s next large strategic mission. In this event, Dr. Kristen McQuinn (Space Telescope Science Institute) will tell us how Roman is set to chart the depths of space and time and forge the path towards Earth 2.0. Additionally, Dr. Robyn Sanderson (University of Pennsylvania) will tell us how Roman has the potential to discover what dark matter is—or isn't—by observing nearby galaxies.
Jul 29, 2025 StarTalk PodcastCould a new telescope one day spot city lights on exoplanets? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Matt Kirshen answer questions about the frontiers of exoplanet science with astrophysicist and NASA Exoplanet Science Ambassador, Anjali Tripathi. Anjali explains how we went from knowing zero to thousands of exoplanets and how NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will blow that number into the tens of thousands. Learn how this flagship mission will use microlensing and coronagraph technology to directly image planets and analyze their atmospheres for biosignatures and maybe even signs of alien pollution.We dive into how exoplanets form, what early planetary disks look like, and how Earth-like conditions have changed across time. Can life exist under ice? What about on moons? Could we one day spot alien city lights? Why are gas giants easier to find? How do biosignatures evolve over billions of years? And what happens to habitability when our own Sun balloons out?Can planets form in donut shapes? How accurate are our measurements? And what if simulations predict strange things, like bug planets? We answer questions about binary star systems, moons as homes for life, and whether every solar system is truly a snowflake. You’ll also learn about planet detection methods, the possibility of seeing city lights from distant planets, and the philosophical limits of what science can tell us. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Anjali Tripathi3:33 - The Latest in Exoplanets7:05 - Directly Imaging Exoplanets & Habitable Worlds Observatory12:15 - Exoplanetary Formation & Finding Water16:56 - Progress in Exoplanetary Research18:22 - Can Planets Be Different Shapes? 20:50 - The Changing Habitable Zone24:12 - Is Our Solar System Unique?26:15 - Can We Ever See The Surface of Exoplanets? 28:40 - Exoplanet’s Distance to Their Star30:52 - Life-Containing Moons35:01 - Techniques for Discovery39:24 - Validating Results44:31 - Strange Simulation Results
Aug 26, 2025Technicians recently tested two major deployments for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: the Deployable Aperture Cover (DAC) and the Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS). The DAC will protect Roman’s instruments before launch, then swing open once the telescope is in space. To simulate weightlessness, engineers used a gravity offload system precisely counterbalanced to reduce drag during deployment. The SASS unfurled in true flight-like fashion, with its solar panels swinging into place under powerful spring tension. Each release was marked by the sharp pop of a non-explosive actuator. Both deployments were successful, bringing Roman one step closer to its mission to study dark energy, exoplanets, and the distant universe. To learn more, check out the link in our Roman highlight.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Sophia Roberts: Videographer / ProducerScott Weissinger: Videographer / ProducerVideographers: Sophia Roberts (eMITS) and Scott Wiessinger (eMITS)Paul Morris: EditorPublic Affairs Officer: Claire Andreoli (NASA/GSFC)
SummaryIt’s clear as a bell: Roman can enlighten us on the stars located in the Milky Way’s galactic bulge.In musical terms, stars are like a constantly playing handbell choir. The turbulence within their interiors creates a pattern of waves — steady oscillations, like a ringing bell — which cause changes in their overall brightness. Studying these fluctuations, a method known as asteroseismology, can provide details about the stars themselves, such as their age, mass, and size.Building from NASA’s now-retired Kepler space telescope’s successful asteroseismic detections, a team of researchers has recently confirmed that asteroseismology will be possible with NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Their study also explores different models to provide an estimation of the number of stars that will be detectable via this method. Their results indicate the telescope will provide the largest asteroseismic sample ever collected.
I've been to those Goddard test facilities several times, although the last time was pre-pandemic. If I remember correctly, the big clean room, which is where they do most of the work, has a door in the back. They can move the telescope out that door on a mobile cart (I cannot think of a better term for it at the moment). Through those doors is a big room with a vibration test machine in there. (They might have two different vibration test stands--I cannot remember.) That is not a clean room, so I think that whatever they test is usually bagged to keep particulates out.
and some large laser instrument for some other spacecraft. Astra or Astro?
During another visit we saw another big clean room that had the joint NASA-JAXA Earth sciences spacecraft in it. Ugly box-like spacecraft. Cannot remember its name at the moment (GxLP?).
When you hear about people saying "close Goddard" or "transfer Goddard's work," you have to keep in mind that there are some big, expensive, unique facilities at Goddard that don't exist elsewhere, or don't have the same capabilities. You get a sense of that by looking at the video--look how big the interior of that building is, with different test facilities inside of it. But the main thing is the expertise. Lots of people there who know how to do stuff and are the only ones with those skills.
Newer addendum: After failing to find any map of the Goddard test facilities online, I sketched out my memory of how it is set up. These are the test facilities you see in the video. I could have the acoustic test chamber in the wrong spot, but I think that is where it is. I cannot remember what is in the upper left corner of that building. Maybe an additional clean room or two, plus other infrastructure needed to run some of that equipment.
Quote from: Blackstar on 11/26/2025 10:47 pmand some large laser instrument for some other spacecraft. Astra or Astro? ATLAS instrument, the lidar for ICESat-2Quote from: Blackstar on 11/26/2025 10:47 pmDuring another visit we saw another big clean room that had the joint NASA-JAXA Earth sciences spacecraft in it. Ugly box-like spacecraft. Cannot remember its name at the moment (GxLP?). Probably GPM, the Global Precipitation Measurement mission. And I think it was in the SCA clean room at the other (west) end of the high bay next door in building 7.
