On Sunday, August 30, 2026, after more than a decade of development, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope successfully launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Equipped with a viewing area 100 times larger than that of the Hubble Space Telescope, the telescope, with a field is anticipated to gather an unprecedented volume of observational data that will assist in solving lingering questions, such as the part dark energy plays in the accelerating expansion of the universe.
Rebekah Hounsell of UMBC, serving as an associate research scientist at the Center for Space Sciences and Technology, initiated her work on the mission back in 2015 while at the University of Illinois.
Since that time, she has maintained her involvement with the project across several different organizations, which includes her time at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center starting in 2020.
Holding the positions of co-PI and project manager for the Roman Supernova Cosmology Project Infrastructure Team (PIT), she is responsible for figuring out the optimal strategy for the telescope to gather data concerning cosmic events known as type Ia supernovae.
The team is creating software and instruments designed to translate the telescope's measurements into data that researchers hope will improve and potentially transform our comprehension of the cosmos.
NASA Roman Telescope Fine-Guidance System And Coronagraph Observation
The fine-guidance system of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope—which enables the spacecraft to maintain an extremely stable lock on its targets during scientific measurements—successfully completed a series of evaluations lasting from Sept. 15 to 21.
Then on Sept. 22, the mission’s Coronagraph Instrument opened its eyes to cosmic light for the very first time.
To act as reference points, the team designated a tiny fraction of every single one of the 18 detectors within Roman’s main Wide Field Instrument to rapidly track an individual guide star, which are stars possessing precisely mapped locations.
Once Roman’s attitude control system successfully points the spacecraft in the correct direction, data supplied by the fine-guidance mechanism subsequently assists in maintaining its stability throughout every observation to prevent any drifting away from the target.
Using only the attitude control system, Roman’s images wouldn’t be as crisp.
Бегонья Вила, ведущий специалист по системам наведения телескопа Roman в Центре космических полетов им. Годдарда NASA в Гринбелте, штат Мэриленд, отметила: «Каждое наблюдение с помощью телескопа Roman зависит от его способности оставаться точно нацеленным на нужный участок пространства достаточно долго для получения изображения, на что для глубокой экспозиции может уйти от нескольких минут до часов».
Engineered and constructed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory situated in Southern California, the coronagraph is set to showcase state-of-the-art technology designed to block out starlight in order to image planets and dusty rings surrounding nearby stars.
The instrument woke up on Sept. 1 and stretched its digital, electronic, and mechanical “limbs” mid-month.
After the researchers verified that the fine-guidance apparatus kept the Coronagraph Instrument steady, they adjusted the focus so it could capture an initial, blurry glimpse of space that will aid experts in fine-tuning the device’s optical performance.
Ванесса Бейли, научный сотрудник проекта коронографа телескопа Roman в Лаборатории реактивного движения (JPL) NASA, заявила: «Это наблюдение подтверждает, что прибор способен создавать сфокусированное изображение».
Ванесса Бейли также добавила: «Это весьма ограниченный тест, который дает старт методичному процессу выполнения все более сложных задач, помогающих нам подготовиться к будущим наблюдениям с помощью прибора».
PI Precision Motion Technology Aboard NASA’s Roman Space Telescope
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope features piezoelectric actuators supplied by PI (Physik Instrumente), an international provider of precision motion control and nanopositioning systems, which operate a fast-steering mirror located inside the Coronagraph Instrument.
NASA has confirmed that initial checks of the Coronagraph Instrument were successful following its activation in space.
The instrument remains in commissioning as Roman travels toward the Sun–Earth L2 point.
Over the past decade, throughout the telescope’s design and testing stages, PI also provided various precision motion solutions that were utilized.
PICMA® piezo actuators from PI are responsible for operating the fast steering mirror housed within the Roman’s Coronagraph Instrument.
Following the completion of its commissioning phase, the spacecraft will perform wide-field surveys focused on exoplanets, dark matter, and dark energy, with its initial scientific data collection scheduled for early 2027.
Roman Fuel Budget And Science Operations
For more than ten years, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has relied on PI (Physik Instrumente) to provide piezoelectric and precision motion technologies utilized in its testing, alignment, development, and flight hardware.
Roman is traveling toward the Sun-Earth L2 point.
PI’s involvement began during early development of the mission, formerly known as WFIRST.
Cryogenic positioning stages were supplied for early testbeds.
PI later provided six-axis hexapods and precision gantry systems for the project.
Ещё по этой теме
