Women of NASA Web Chat

Date: November 04, 1997

Featuring: Nancy Roman

Formerly Chief of Astronomy and Relativity Programs/NASA Headquarters and currently working partime in various capacities at Goddard Space Flight Center.

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: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:06AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
In your biography, you mentioned that your career had 3 phases. Which was your favorite?

Nancy Grace Roman: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:12AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
I liked all three phases of my career. Perhaps the fact that they were so different made each more interesting. I enjoyed both teaching and research and would have been happy to continue indefinitely but my job in NASA brought many interesting experiences that I would never have had in a university. I also got to know many important people, that was interesting. I think that I know ten or a dozen Nobel prize winners well enought that they also know me.

Molly : . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:14AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Will our sun collapse into a black hole?

Elizabeth at Hale H.S.: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:14AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
how did you first get interested in space?

Nancy Grace Roman: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:16AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
I liked all three phases of my career. Perhaps the fact that they were so different made each more interesting. I enjoyed both teaching and research and would have been happy to continue indefinitely but my job in NASA brought many interesting experiences that I would never have had in a university. I also got to know many important people, that was interesting. I think that I know ten or a dozen Nobel prize winners well enought that they also know me.

I also had a chance to travel to many interesting places.

No. I did not have any problems when I started with NASA except one rather amusing one. I had never used the prefix "Dr." with my name but when I started with NASA, I had to. Otherwise, I could not get past the secretaries. Two of the people with whom I was most involved with I started with NASA knew me at NRL. That is why I was hired but it also made the change easier. Are you playing a part in the Mars exploration?

Nancy Grace Roman: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:19AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
One of the nice things about astronomy is that there are relatively few of us. As a result, we know one another throughout the world, although this was more true when I started than it is today. When I joined the International Astronomical Union, which is compposed of most professional astronomers established in their careers, there were only 1000 of us!

Jenny 5th Grade : . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:15AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Are you a fan of Stephen Hawking? I have been watching his show on PBS

Nancy Grace Roman: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:21AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
I know that Stephen Hawking is an excellent theoretical astyronomer but I have not kept up with his books or with the recent program. I was out of twon for the first three in the series.

Cara 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:21AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Do you plan to write books??

Nancy: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:24AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
No. I do not plan to write a book. I have started to write a series of brief notes about interesting experiences that I have had that I might someday put into a book.

Jenny 5th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:24AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
In the Movies a Black hole is a gateway to another dimention. How acurate is this?

Nancy: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:27AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
The teory of black holes is very complicated and not completely understood. It seems to be possible that black holes might connect with another universe but this is far from definite. However, it does not make much practicle difference. If you were sucked into a black hole you would be completed disintegrated by the very strong tides. Elizabeth at Hale H.S.: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:24AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Do you work with very many other women, or mostly men.

Nancy: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:29AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
There are more women in astronomy today than there were. However, the main difference is that women can now gete good jobs and responsible positions. Before the last generation, there were usually relegated to very boring, although highly important jobs.

Cara 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:25AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
How did Men treat you??

Nancy: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:30AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Men have also treated me well professionally. In fact, I have had some interesting experiences because I was a woman (and therefore rarer),

Jenny 5th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:31AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Are you pleased with your accomplishments? And Which ones are you most proud of?

Nancy: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:37AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Yes. I feel proud of my career. It is difficult to pick a single accomplishment of which I am most proud. In research, my most important contribution was the recognition that even among the bright stars, the compositions differ. Stars that have more hydrogen and helium compared with heavier elements, move more faster on the average. Although it was known that a few extreme stars moved very fast, noone realized that there were differences amoung the average stars. Today, we know that the stars with more hydrogen and helium are older. In NASA, I feel proud of the entire astronomy program that I organized and defended. One satellite, called the International Ultraviolet Explorer I feel completely responsible for. It was turned off after 20 years with thousands of observations, hundreds of users and perhaps a thousand scientific papers. Of course, I am thrilled by the pictures, and science, coming from the Hubble Space Telescope. I was the program Scientist for this for 15 years.

I guess my favorite thing about space is the marvel of the universe. The more we learn, the more fantastic it appears. If you mean the space program, I have to choose the Hubble telescope results although the picures of the planets are also high in my regard.

Molly : . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:34AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Do you like star trekk and star wars?

Nancy: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:41AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
I have never seen Star Trek although I still hope to have the opportunity some day. I have never been a fan of science fiction, particularly although I ahve read a couple of science fiction books I liked very much.

Cara 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:32AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Do you have any roll modles? Who, Why?

Nancy: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:46AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
There are many role models in astronomy today. Which you choose depends somewhat on your interests. For example, the Director of the National Optical Astronomy Observatories is a woman. SHe manages a number of telescopes in Arizona, New Mexico, and Chile. There are women who are full professors in major universities and many have senior positions in government agencies.

Cara 7th Grade: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:41AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
do you know how women become astronauts?

Molly: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:44AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Will we see women astronauts on the mission to mars?

Elizabeth at Hale H.S.: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:46AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Have you ever wanted to be out in space (ie:walk on moon, etc.)?

Nancy: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:50AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Women become astronauts in the same way that men do. They must have a good background in science (including medicine) or engineering, be in excellent physical condition, and pass a rigorous screening. I cannot predict if women will be on the first mission to Mars, but it would not surprise me. If there are several trips to Mars, I think that it is almost certain that a woman would be included. Yes, I think that I would have enjoyed both space travel and walking in space although I am not sue I would have enjoyed the various problems before hand.

Keith NASA Chat Host: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:52AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Please wrap-up your questions. Thank You

Jenny 5th Grade : . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:54AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Nancy Thanks for your time. One last question. Are time and space the same thing can we travell between both in the futrure?

Elizabeth at Hale H.S.: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:54AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Are you taking part in the Mars exploration?

Molly : . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:54AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
Great Chat!! thank you!

Elizabeth at Hale H.S.: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:58AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
bye Nancy! thankyou!

Nancy: . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:58AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
We do not know if the universe will ever collapse. That is one of the things we are trying to learn with Hubble. At present, it looks as iuf it will expand for ever. Space and time are very similar coordinates. We actually travel through the three space coordinates and time all the time.

Keith NASA Chat Host : . . . . Tue, Nov 4, 11:57AM PDT (-0700 GMT)
This concludes our Web Chat for today. Thank You to Nancy Roman for joining us today.