“It certainly wasn’t just plug and play,” he said. NASA scientists say they are thrilled with the progress of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a next-generation observatory designed to transform our understanding of the universe.
Roman passed NASA’s confirmation review in 2020. Since then, the mission has continued to advance on schedule, within budget, and faster than expected.
The 7.9-foot-diameter primary mirror for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope was originally manufactured for a U.S. government reconnaissance satellite.
Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn
Nikki Fox, director of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, has described the Roman Space Telescope as the “Swiss Army knife” of astronomy. The observatory is expected to survey about 12 percent of the sky—an enormous area compared with the roughly 0.1 percent observed by the Hubble Space Telescope during its decades in orbit.
“Roman’s wide field of view and fast survey speed will reveal unknown cosmic objects while shedding light on dark energy and dark matter,” Fox said. “During its mission, Roman is expected to discover tens of thousands of new planets, billions of galaxies, thousands of supernovae, and tens of billions of stars.”
Roman’s wide-field surveys will also make it dramatically faster than Hubble for mapping large regions of the sky. In some areas of astronomy, observations that would take Hubble decades could be completed by Roman in just months.
How will the Roman Space Telescope study dark energy?
One of the mission’s primary goals is to investigate dark energy, the mysterious force believed to account for roughly 70 percent of the universe and drive its accelerating expansion. Dark matter makes up just over one-quarter of the cosmos, while ordinary matter—including stars, planets, gas, and people—represents only a small fraction of the universe.
Roman’s observations could test whether the standard model of cosmology accurately describes the universe. If the telescope uncovers unexpected patterns in the distribution of galaxies, supernovae, or gravitational lenses, those findings could challenge existing theories and help scientists determine what lies beyond the current model.
“Roman’s discoveries could confirm current hints that the standard model of our universe is incomplete or wrong, potentially leading us toward a better understanding of how the cosmos works,” said Julie McEnery, senior project scientist for the Roman Space Telescope at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
Roman will also conduct an exceptionally detailed survey of the Milky Way. “One month of Roman observations could probe our galaxy and detect up to half of its stars,” McEnery said. “That would create a catalog of objects far larger than anything available today.”
The scale of the mission’s data will be unprecedented. A complete display of a single Roman image from its largest survey would require more than 500,000 4K televisions. Arranged together, those screens would cover approximately 45 city blocks in Manhattan—or the equivalent area of Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan.
By combining a wide field of view, rapid survey speed, and advanced infrared instruments, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope could reshape research into dark energy, dark matter, exoplanets, galaxies, and the evolution of the universe.
Source: arstechnica.com