NASA Installs Commemorative Plaque on Roman Space Telescope

• Technicians installed a memorial plaque on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on July 28, 2026.
• The plaque honors Dr. Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer.
• It contains a memory card with 1,350,144 names submitted by the public, including NASA’s Artemis II and Artemis III astronauts.

Telescope Capabilities and Mission

• Launch is scheduled for August 30, 2026.
• The telescope features technology to block starlight to directly observe exoplanets and planet-forming disks.
• Scientific objectives include:
  • Conducting a statistical census of planetary systems within our galaxy.
  • Researching dark energy.
  • Studying infrared astrophysics.