Blog
New Ready, Set, Roman! Training Series Recordings and Next Webinar Tuesday, Nov 18 at 1pm EST/10am PST
Thank you to those who joined the first Ready, Set, Roman! Training Series Webinar #1. We were delighted to see so many participants tuning in and asking thoughtful questions.
If you were unable to attend or would like to review the session, the following resources are now available:
Ready, Set, Roman, Train Series Home Page: Our home page will host all video recordings and slides after each presentation. https://outerspace.stsci.edu/spaces/RTS/pages/352355880/Ready+Set+Roman+Training+Series+Home
YouTube Channel: All training webinar recordings will also be made available on the NancyRomanSci YouTube channel. We encourage you to subscribe. https://www.youtube.com/@NancyRomanSci
Our next Webinar will be held on Tuesday, Nov 18 at 1pm EST/10am PST. The topic will be “Simulated Data Sets." This training will provide an introduction to Roman’s simulation tools and existing simulated data sets. User will get an understanding of what makes Roman simulations unique, the various tools at their disposal, and a hands on tutorial to using Roman I-Sim. More details will be circulated next week.
Sign-Up For Future Ready, Set, Roman! Training Series Notifications: If you haven’t already, please sign up for our listserve to receive notifications, reminders, and Webex links by emailing: ROMANTRAINING-subscribe-request@maillist.stsci.edu
Add to Your Calendar: To keep track of future Ready, Set, Roman! Training Series webinars and other Roman related events, please subscribe to our Roman Events Calendar.
New Roman Virtual Lecture Series: November 20, 2025 at 4pm EST/1pm PST
We are excited to announce the next Roman Virtual Lecture Series
Speaker: Kene Anumba (Duke University)
"Photometric calibration uncertainties in stage IV supernova cosmology”
Upcoming supernova surveys, such as the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman) and the Vera Rubin Observatory’s LSST, are expected to discover over a million supernovae, vastly increasing current samples. Using Type Ia Supernovae (SN Ia) to constrain cosmological parameters, including the dark energy equation-of-state parameters w₀ and wₐ, requires precise spectro-photometric models. One of the largest systematics in supernova cosmology analysis is the supernova SED model’s accuracy, which depends on survey photometric calibration. My team uses catalog-level simulations of LSST and Roman, incorporating forecasted calibration uncertainties, to assess their impact on model recovery, distance measurements, and inferred cosmology.
Dial-In Information: Please subscribe for invite at: https://lists.ipac.caltech.edu/mailman/listinfo/roman_announce
More info at: https://roman.ipac.caltech.edu/events?category=virtual-lecture-series
New SOC Roman Newsletter is Out! (Oct '25)
The latest news from the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Science Operations Center (SOC) at STScI
The thermal vacuum testing of the combined spacecraft, telescope, and instruments completed successfully on October 14 at the Goddard Space Flight Center. The Science Operations Center at STScI used the resulting data to test the cloud-based data processing system from end-to-end for the first time and is working on finalizing the data pipeline and the infrastructure to archive the data. The Cycle 1 Call for Proposals is expected in November 2025, with a deadline in March 2026; however due to the U.S. federal government shutdown these dates may change. The Roman Project Office is now aiming for a late September 2026 launch date. As the Call for Proposals, launch, and beginning of operations approach, the Science Operations Center and the Science Support Center at IPAC will be offering a series of webinars to introduce Roman users to tools developed to help scientists analyze data and plan observations.
Plus, get the latest on Roman at Conferences, Roman training events, tools, documentations, survey updates, and resources.
Full newsletter: https://www.stsci.edu/contents/news/roman/2025/roman-science-operations-center-newsletter-october
This image shows a simulated observation from NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope with an overlay of its Wide Field Instrument’s field of view. Each Roman observation will contain more than 20 gravitational lenses, such as those shown on the two sides of the image. According to Bryce Wedig et al. (2025), the High-Latitude Wide-Area Survey will detect more than 500 gravitational lenses suitable for dark matter studies. Such a large population of gravitational lenses will shed new light on the mysterious nature of dark matter. Image credits: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)
Don't Forget To Register for Roman Workshops During Registration for AAS 247 Phoenix, Arizona Jan 4-8
This will be the final AAS before Roman Cycle 1 proposals are due. Join the Roman mission to get ready! We will host a variety of educational and training opportunities.
- Three Workshops will be hosted on Sunday Jan 4 that require registration at the same time that you register for AAS. Don't forget to "add" during registration!
- A draft working schedule can currently be found here: https://outerspace.stsci.edu/x/sgAXF. Please be sure to submit any sessions not listed.
The AAS247 regular registration is coming up fast — Friday, November 07! Don’t miss your chance to share your science.
Have Something to Share or Promote? Submit Your Own Announcement
Roman is a community mission. To that end, we encourage you to share and submit your own announcements in our weekly newsletter. Please submit any request here.
Stay Connected and Up To Date
Excited about all the progress with Roman? Want to stay in the know? Now is the time to join the Roman community.
Follow us on social media @NancyRomanSci on Twitter, Blue Sky, Instagram, and Facebook.
If you are already part of the Roman community, please consider subscribing to our calendar to stay up to date, joining one of the new working groups, and contributing to Roman participation in AAS.
The New Ready, Set, Roman! Training Series Kicks off Next Tuesday, Nov 04 at 1pm EST
We are excited for our kickoff Webinar #1 on the “Core Community Surveys and Related Tools” on Tuesday Nov 04 at 1pm EST/10am PST. We provide some important details below.
Goals: This training webinar will provide an introduction to the Training Series and a tour of the various Roman tools and documentation available for users to better understand the science potential of Roman’s three Core Community Surveys: the High-Latitude Time Domain Survey (HLTDS), the Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey (GBTDS), and the High-Latitude Wide-Area Survey (HLWAS).
What to expect: Each training session will last one hour and consist of a short presentation (~20-25 minutes) with plenty of time for Q&A with Roman staff. For Webinar #1, our agenda will include:
Welcome to the Ready, Set, Roman! Training Series.
Introduction to the Roman Tools and Documentation Ecosystem
Poll Results on Roman Survey Science Observing Criteria (See Below)
Understanding Roman’s Community Defined Surveys
Roman Footprint Tool demo
Preparation: The training series is designed for users with all levels of experience. We will be providing live, hands-on demos that can be viewed on its own. However, if a user wishes to actively follow along, all tools, software, and data sets are publicly available. Detailed instructions for installing the Roman Footprint Tool notebook can be found on our website.
(Action Requested) Roman Survey Science Observing Criteria Poll: Prior to the Webinar, we ask users to fill out a very short (<2 minute) poll about the observing criteria that would best support their science. This poll is an educational tool that we have developed to help users identify the Core Community Survey that may be most suited for their science. We intend to discuss the results at the training webinar.
Connection Information: https://stsci.webex.com/stsci/j.php?MTID=mfa26b6463a28270ed08cda35b2358700
Sign-Up For Future Ready, Set, Roman! Training Series Notifications: If you haven’t already, please sign up for our listserve to receive notifications, reminders, and Webex links by emailing: ROMANTRAINING-subscribe-request@maillist.stsci.edu
Add to Your Calendar: To keep track of future Ready, Set, Roman! Training Series webinars and other Roman related events, please subscribe to our Roman Events Calendar.
Join the Community: Please note, access to other calendars and pages are available to members of the Roman Forum and Roman Science Collaboration. If you haven’t had a chance, please consider joining today.
New SOC Roman Newsletter is Out! (Oct '25)
The latest news from the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Science Operations Center (SOC) at STScI
The thermal vacuum testing of the combined spacecraft, telescope, and instruments completed successfully on October 14 at the Goddard Space Flight Center. The Science Operations Center at STScI used the resulting data to test the cloud-based data processing system from end-to-end for the first time and is working on finalizing the data pipeline and the infrastructure to archive the data. The Cycle 1 Call for Proposals is expected in November 2025, with a deadline in March 2026; however due to the U.S. federal government shutdown these dates may change. The Roman Project Office is now aiming for a late September 2026 launch date. As the Call for Proposals, launch, and beginning of operations approach, the Science Operations Center and the Science Support Center at IPAC will be offering a series of webinars to introduce Roman users to tools developed to help scientists analyze data and plan observations.
Plus, get the latest on Roman at Conferences, Roman training events, tools, documentations, survey updates, and resources.
Full newsletter: https://www.stsci.edu/contents/news/roman/2025/roman-science-operations-center-newsletter-october
This image shows a simulated observation from NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope with an overlay of its Wide Field Instrument’s field of view. Each Roman observation will contain more than 20 gravitational lenses, such as those shown on the two sides of the image. According to Bryce Wedig et al. (2025), the High-Latitude Wide-Area Survey will detect more than 500 gravitational lenses suitable for dark matter studies. Such a large population of gravitational lenses will shed new light on the mysterious nature of dark matter. Image credits: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)
Don't Forget To Register for Roman Workshops During Registration for AAS 247 Phoenix, Arizona Jan 4-8
This will be the final AAS before Roman Cycle 1 proposals are due. Join the Roman mission to get ready! We will host a variety of educational and training opportunities.
- Three Workshops will be hosted on Sunday Jan 4 that require registration at the same time that you register for AAS. Don't forget to "add" during registration!
- A draft working schedule can currently be found here: https://outerspace.stsci.edu/x/sgAXF. Please be sure to submit any sessions not listed.
The AAS247 regular registration is coming up fast — Friday, November 07! Don’t miss your chance to share your science.
Have Something to Share or Promote? Submit Your Own Announcement
Roman is a community mission. To that end, we encourage you to share and submit your own announcements in our weekly newsletter. Please submit any request here.
Stay Connected and Up To Date
Excited about all the progress with Roman? Want to stay in the know? Now is the time to join the Roman community.
Follow us on social media @NancyRomanSci on Twitter, Blue Sky, Instagram, and Facebook.
If you are already part of the Roman community, please consider subscribing to our calendar to stay up to date, joining one of the new working groups, and contributing to Roman participation in AAS.
Introducing the New Ready, Set, Roman! Training Series
The Ready, Set, Roman! Training Series kicks off on Tuesday, Nov 04 at 1pm EST
The Roman Science Centers at STScI and IPAC are excited to launch the Ready, Set, Roman! Training Series —a new, hands-on set of webinars designed to prepare the community for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
With Roman’s launch targeted for Fall 2026 and the first Call for Proposals coming in Fall 2025, now is the time to get ready. This Roman Training Series will help you build the knowledge and skills needed to make the most of Roman’s Core Community Surveys (CCS) and General Astrophysics Surveys (GAS) with the Wide Field Instrument (WFI).
Roman is community-driven, survey-focused, and fully open access. Instead of relying solely on individual observing programs, much of the science will come from teams analyzing Roman’s rich archive. This Roman Training Series will give you practical experience with the tools, data, and workflows you’ll need for proposal preparation, data access, calibration, and analysis.
Please join us for our first webinar on Tuesday, November 04 at 1pm EST/10am PST on “Tools for Exploring Roman’s Core Community Surveys.” This webinar will provide an introduction to the Training Series and a tour of the various Roman tools, documentation, and data sets available for users to better understand the science potential of Roman’s three CCSs: the High-Latitude Time Domain Survey (HLTDS), the Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey (GBTDS), and the Hight-Latitude Wide-Area Survey (HLWAS).
What to Expect in the Ready, Set, Roman! Training Series
1-hour sessions exploring tools and resources to help you prepare to use Roman's data
Live, hands-on demos of Roman tools or simulated datasets
Ample time for Q&A with Roman staff
A welcoming space for all, with students especially encouraged to join
How to Join
Sign up for our listserve to receive notifications, reminders, and Webex links by emailing:ROMANTRAINING-subscribe-request@maillist.stsci.edu
Schedules, details, call-in information, and past recordings are available on the Ready, Set, Roman! Training Series website.
Whether you’re brand new to Roman or already planning your first proposal, the Ready, Set, Roman! Training Series is your chance to get connected and get ready for Roman.
Roman @AAS 247 Phoenix, Arizona Jan 4-8
This will be the final AAS before Roman Cycle 1 proposals are due. Join the Roman mission to get ready! We will host a variety of educational and training opportunities.
- Three Workshops will be hosted on Sunday Jan 4 that require registration at the same time that you register for AAS. Don't forget to "add" during registration!
- A draft working schedule can currently be found here: https://outerspace.stsci.edu/x/sgAXF. Please be sure to submit any sessions not listed.
The AAS247 regular registration is coming up fast — Friday, November 07! Don’t miss your chance to share your science.
First Announcement: RAPID Response: Hot-wiring the Next Generation of Time-Domain Science
Where: Caltech, Pasadena, CA
When: March 23 - 27, 2026
We are pleased to announce RAPID Response: Hot-wiring the Next Generation of Time-Domain Science, the next meeting in the Hot-wiring the Transient Universe (HTU) series to be held on 2026 March 23 - March 27 in Pasadena, CA at Caltech hosted by the RAPID Project Infrastructure Team. As we enter the era of multi-wavelength and multi-messenger surveys with rich but disparate datasets, there is a growing need to revisit the software infrastructure required to push the limits of time-domain science. Building on the legacy from the past decades of optical time-domain surveys, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory has opened its eye to the dynamic sky and will unleash a wave of millions of alerts per night. High-energy space missions such as Fermi and the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory are capturing the most energetic astrophysical explosions. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will launch no later than May 2027, is set to unveil the transient universe in the infrared (IR). New surveys on the horizon such as DSA-2000 and ULTRASAT will push our multi-wavelength survey coverage into the radio and near-UV. Now is therefore the ideal time to revisit and address the software infrastructure needed to pursue breakthrough science enabled by low-latency alerts, multi-wavelength/messenger discovery, machine learning, and science platforms / alert brokers / marshals.In this meeting, we will address the following key questions:
- What have we learned from existing alert streams and Rubin alerts?
- Are we ready for alerts from Roman and beyond?
- How do we optimize transient discovery with multi-wavelength and multi-messenger alert streams?
- How do we effectively utilize machine learning for time-domain science?
- What physics of stellar explosions/eruptions/variability can be revealed with rapid, multi-wavelength/messenger observations?
The science topics in the meeting will focus on relativistic explosions, stellar variables, supermassive black hole transients, IR / “gap” transients, and supernovae.Registration and abstract submission will open in early October 2025. For more information, please visit the meeting website: https://conference.ipac.caltech.edu/rapid-hotwiring2026/
Have Something to Share or Promote? Submit Your Own Announcement
Roman is a community mission. To that end, we encourage you to share and submit your own announcements in our weekly newsletter. Please submit any request here.
Stay Connected and Up To Date
Excited about all the progress with Roman? Want to stay in the know? Now is the time to join the Roman community.
Follow us on social media @NancyRomanSci on Twitter, Blue Sky, Instagram, and Facebook.
If you are already part of the Roman community, please consider subscribing to our calendar to stay up to date, joining one of the new working groups, and contributing to Roman participation in AAS.
JWST Cycle 5 Special Initiative: Roman Preparatory Science (RPS)
Don't forget to check the box in APT as you prepare for Roman Cycle 1! Good luck to everyone on their JWST Cycle 5 proposals (and if you didn't start yet, it's not too late).
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman) will launch no later than May 2027, with a first call for proposals in Fall 2025. Roman will provide wide-field survey data including imaging and slitless spectroscopy spanning the wavelength range 0.5 to 2.3 microns and direct imaging data from 0.5 to 0.8 microns of exoplanets using the high-contrast coronagraph instrument.
The RPS Initiative is designed to encourage observations with JWST that complement and enhance the scientific impact of Roman observations, or that are essential to achieving critical science goals of future Roman programs.
RPS Initiative proposals should comply with the following guidelines:
- Proposers must check the “Roman Preparatory Science” box on the APT proposal information page to be included in this initiative.
- Proposers should use the "Special Requirements" section of the PDF attachment to describe the connection with specific Roman observations.
- If the JWST observations are critical to the success of the future Roman program, the science goals of the full program should be described in the "Scientific Justification," including an explanation as to why JWST observations are deemed essential to achieve those goals.
- By default, RPS proposal data will not have an Exclusive Access Period (EAP, a default of zero months). A non-zero EAP may be requested, and should be justified in the "Special Requirements" section of the PDF attachment.
The connection between the proposed JWST and Roman observations will be considered as part of the review process. Where the JWST observations are deemed essential to achieving the overall science goals, the proposal will be assessed based on the science expectations for the full program including both the JWST and Roman observations. Requests for non-zero EAP data will also be assessed by the TAC.
No extra time will be made available for RPS Initiative proposals, and no additional weight will be given in grading. However, setting the RPS flag serves to highlight JWST's broad impact and its importance for future science with Roman during the review. Proposals must still justify why JWST is required to achieve the program's science goals, as described under the JWST Proposal Selection Procedures. RPS Initiative proposals recommended for acceptance must meet the usual requirement of high scientific quality set for all successful JWST proposals.
More details can be found at the JWST Cycle 5 CfPs: https://jwst-docs.stsci.edu/jwst-opportunities-and-policies/jwst-call-for-proposals-for-cycle-5/jwst-special-initiatives#JWSTSpecialInitiatives-rpsRomanPreparatoryScience(RPS)Initiative
Roman @AAS 247 Phoenix, Arizona Jan 4-8
This will be the final AAS before Roman Cycle 1 proposals are due. Join the Roman mission to get ready! We will host a variety of educational and training opportunities.
- Three Workshops will be hosted on Sunday Jan 4 that require registration at the same time that you register for AAS. Don't forget to "add" during registration!
- A draft working schedule can currently be found here: https://outerspace.stsci.edu/x/sgAXF. Please be sure to submit any sessions not listed.
The AAS247 regular registration is coming up fast — Friday, November 07! Don’t miss your chance to share your science.
First Announcement: RAPID Response: Hot-wiring the Next Generation of Time-Domain Science
Where: Caltech, Pasadena, CA
When: March 23 - 27, 2026
We are pleased to announce RAPID Response: Hot-wiring the Next Generation of Time-Domain Science, the next meeting in the Hot-wiring the Transient Universe (HTU) series to be held on 2026 March 23 - March 27 in Pasadena, CA at Caltech hosted by the RAPID Project Infrastructure Team. As we enter the era of multi-wavelength and multi-messenger surveys with rich but disparate datasets, there is a growing need to revisit the software infrastructure required to push the limits of time-domain science. Building on the legacy from the past decades of optical time-domain surveys, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory has opened its eye to the dynamic sky and will unleash a wave of millions of alerts per night. High-energy space missions such as Fermi and the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory are capturing the most energetic astrophysical explosions. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will launch no later than May 2027, is set to unveil the transient universe in the infrared (IR). New surveys on the horizon such as DSA-2000 and ULTRASAT will push our multi-wavelength survey coverage into the radio and near-UV. Now is therefore the ideal time to revisit and address the software infrastructure needed to pursue breakthrough science enabled by low-latency alerts, multi-wavelength/messenger discovery, machine learning, and science platforms / alert brokers / marshals.In this meeting, we will address the following key questions:
- What have we learned from existing alert streams and Rubin alerts?
- Are we ready for alerts from Roman and beyond?
- How do we optimize transient discovery with multi-wavelength and multi-messenger alert streams?
- How do we effectively utilize machine learning for time-domain science?
- What physics of stellar explosions/eruptions/variability can be revealed with rapid, multi-wavelength/messenger observations?
The science topics in the meeting will focus on relativistic explosions, stellar variables, supermassive black hole transients, IR / “gap” transients, and supernovae.Registration and abstract submission will open in early October 2025. For more information, please visit the meeting website: https://conference.ipac.caltech.edu/rapid-hotwiring2026/
Have Something to Share or Promote? Submit Your Own Announcement
Roman is a community mission. To that end, we encourage you to share and submit your own announcements in our weekly newsletter. Please submit any request here.
Stay Connected and Up To Date
Excited about all the progress with Roman? Want to stay in the know? Now is the time to join the Roman community.
Follow us on social media @NancyRomanSci on Twitter, Blue Sky, Instagram, and Facebook.
If you are already part of the Roman community, please consider subscribing to our calendar to stay up to date, joining one of the new working groups, and contributing to Roman participation in AAS.
Roman @AAS 247 Phoenix, Arizona Jan 4-8
This will be the final AAS before Roman Cycle 1 proposals are due. Join the Roman mission to get ready! We will host a variety of educational and training opportunities.
- Three Workshops will be hosted on Sunday Jan 4 that require registration at the same time that you register for AAS. Don't forget to "add" during registration!
- A draft working schedule can currently be found here: https://outerspace.stsci.edu/x/sgAXF. Please be sure to submit any sessions not listed.
The AAS247 early registration and abstract deadline is coming up fast — Monday, October 6! Don’t miss your chance to share your science.
2025 Roman Merch Store Now Open Through Sunday October 05
Get some of the trendiest Roman Merch on the market. Orders can be placed now and will remain open only through October 5th at midnight. No orders will be accepted after the closing.
Please use this link to access the 2025 Roman Merchandise store - NASA Roman Merchandise – Holiday 2025 https://nasaromanholiday2025.itemorder.com/shop/home/
First Announcement: RAPID Response: Hot-wiring the Next Generation of Time-Domain Science
Where: Caltech, Pasadena, CA
When: March 23 - 27, 2026
We are pleased to announce RAPID Response: Hot-wiring the Next Generation of Time-Domain Science, the next meeting in the Hot-wiring the Transient Universe (HTU) series to be held on 2026 March 23 - March 27 in Pasadena, CA at Caltech hosted by the RAPID Project Infrastructure Team. As we enter the era of multi-wavelength and multi-messenger surveys with rich but disparate datasets, there is a growing need to revisit the software infrastructure required to push the limits of time-domain science. Building on the legacy from the past decades of optical time-domain surveys, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory has opened its eye to the dynamic sky and will unleash a wave of millions of alerts per night. High-energy space missions such as Fermi and the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory are capturing the most energetic astrophysical explosions. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will launch no later than May 2027, is set to unveil the transient universe in the infrared (IR). New surveys on the horizon such as DSA-2000 and ULTRASAT will push our multi-wavelength survey coverage into the radio and near-UV. Now is therefore the ideal time to revisit and address the software infrastructure needed to pursue breakthrough science enabled by low-latency alerts, multi-wavelength/messenger discovery, machine learning, and science platforms / alert brokers / marshals.In this meeting, we will address the following key questions:
- What have we learned from existing alert streams and Rubin alerts?
- Are we ready for alerts from Roman and beyond?
- How do we optimize transient discovery with multi-wavelength and multi-messenger alert streams?
- How do we effectively utilize machine learning for time-domain science?
- What physics of stellar explosions/eruptions/variability can be revealed with rapid, multi-wavelength/messenger observations?
The science topics in the meeting will focus on relativistic explosions, stellar variables, supermassive black hole transients, IR / “gap” transients, and supernovae.Registration and abstract submission will open in early October 2025. For more information, please visit the meeting website: https://conference.ipac.caltech.edu/rapid-hotwiring2026/
Have Something to Share or Promote? Submit Your Own Announcement
Roman is a community mission. To that end, we encourage you to share and submit your own announcements in our weekly newsletter. Please submit any request here.
Stay Connected and Up To Date
Excited about all the progress with Roman? Want to stay in the know? Now is the time to join the Roman community.
Follow us on social media @NancyRomanSci on Twitter, Blue Sky, Instagram, and Facebook.
If you are already part of the Roman community, please consider subscribing to our calendar to stay up to date, joining one of the new working groups, and contributing to Roman participation in AAS.
Learn About the Galactic Plane Survey (GPS) Definition Committee’s Recommended Implementation at the Virtual Roman Community Forum at 4pm EDT/1pm PDT on Wednesday, Oct 01, 2025
The Roman Galactic Plane Survey Definition Committee (GPSDC) was charged with designing a survey of up to approximately 700 hours, using community input in the form of short science pitches or longer, more technical white papers.
The GSPDC recently delivered a report to the Roman Mission and the Roman Observations Time Allocation Committee (ROTAC). The GPSDC's report will be released shortly on arXiv; a link will be included to the report on the Roman Community Forum page. This report describes the recommended Galactic Plane Survey implementation and the science it will enable. We invite you to attend the next virtual Roman Community Forum, on Wednesday, October 01, 2025 at 4:00 pm EDT to hear from representatives of the GPSDC about the recommended survey implementation.
The Roman Community Forum is a virtual meeting that provides regular updates on the Roman Mission and the science it will enable. The schedule for the meeting and connection details are included below. Details on joining, as well as a posting of the recorded meeting, will also be found on the Roman Community Forum page:
https://asd.gsfc.nasa.gov/roman/comm_forum/
Meeting Details
Wednesday, October 01, 2025
4:00 PM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Team’s Meeting Link: Click Here
*Don't miss a thing: If you are already part of the Roman community, please consider subscribing to our calendar to stay up to date.
**Also get reminders on social media @NancyRomanSci: Twitter, Blue Sky, Instagram, and Facebook.
Roman @AAS 247 Phoenix, Arizona Jan 4-8
This will be the final AAS before Roman Cycle 1 proposals are due. Join the Roman mission to get ready! We will host a variety of educational and training opportunities.
- Two Workshops will be hosted on Sunday Jan 4 that require registration at the same time that you register for AAS. Don't forget to add!
- A draft working schedule can currently be found here: https://outerspace.stsci.edu/x/sgAXF. Please be sure to submit any sessions not listed.
The AAS247 early registration and abstract deadline is coming up fast — Monday, October 6! Don’t miss your chance to share your science.
2025 Roman Merch Store Now Open Through Sunday October 05
Get some of the trendiest Roman Merch on the market. Orders can be placed now and will remain open only through October 5th at midnight. No orders will be accepted after the closing.
Please use this link to access the 2025 Roman Merchandise store - NASA Roman Merchandise – Holiday 2025 https://nasaromanholiday2025.itemorder.com/shop/home/
First Announcement: RAPID Response: Hot-wiring the Next Generation of Time-Domain Science
Where: Caltech, Pasadena, CA
When: March 23 - 27, 2026
We are pleased to announce RAPID Response: Hot-wiring the Next Generation of Time-Domain Science, the next meeting in the Hot-wiring the Transient Universe (HTU) series to be held on 2026 March 23 - March 27 in Pasadena, CA at Caltech hosted by the RAPID Project Infrastructure Team. As we enter the era of multi-wavelength and multi-messenger surveys with rich but disparate datasets, there is a growing need to revisit the software infrastructure required to push the limits of time-domain science. Building on the legacy from the past decades of optical time-domain surveys, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory has opened its eye to the dynamic sky and will unleash a wave of millions of alerts per night. High-energy space missions such as Fermi and the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory are capturing the most energetic astrophysical explosions. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will launch no later than May 2027, is set to unveil the transient universe in the infrared (IR). New surveys on the horizon such as DSA-2000 and ULTRASAT will push our multi-wavelength survey coverage into the radio and near-UV. Now is therefore the ideal time to revisit and address the software infrastructure needed to pursue breakthrough science enabled by low-latency alerts, multi-wavelength/messenger discovery, machine learning, and science platforms / alert brokers / marshals.In this meeting, we will address the following key questions:
- What have we learned from existing alert streams and Rubin alerts?
- Are we ready for alerts from Roman and beyond?
- How do we optimize transient discovery with multi-wavelength and multi-messenger alert streams?
- How do we effectively utilize machine learning for time-domain science?
- What physics of stellar explosions/eruptions/variability can be revealed with rapid, multi-wavelength/messenger observations?
The science topics in the meeting will focus on relativistic explosions, stellar variables, supermassive black hole transients, IR / “gap” transients, and supernovae.Registration and abstract submission will open in early October 2025. For more information, please visit the meeting website: https://conference.ipac.caltech.edu/rapid-hotwiring2026/
Have Something to Share or Promote? Submit Your Own Announcement
Roman is a community mission. To that end, we encourage you to share and submit your own announcements in our weekly newsletter. Please submit any request here.
Stay Connected and Up To Date
Excited about all the progress with Roman? Want to stay in the know? Now is the time to join the Roman community.
Follow us on social media @NancyRomanSci on Twitter, Blue Sky, Instagram, and Facebook.
If you are already part of the Roman community, please consider subscribing to our calendar to stay up to date, joining one of the new working groups, and contributing to Roman participation in AAS.
Greetings Roman Community. It's been a minute. But now that summer is over, we are back in the swing of things. The Roman Blog continues on below.
Last Day To Register: TDAMM Workshop: Advancing Community Observing Plans for Rapid Follow-Up of Explosive Transients.
NASA's new Astrophysics Cross-Observatory Science Support (ACROSS) initiative is organizing the 4th Time Domain and Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (TDAMM) Workshop. This workshop will focus on developing community observing plans to enable the rapid and coordinated follow-up of explosive transients by space-based and ground-based observatories. NASA invites US and international members of the ground and space science communities to attend the workshop and contribute to its final product, a publicly available white paper with findings for relevant agencies and the broader astrophysics community.
It will be held October 27-30, 2025 in Huntsville, Alabama.
Deadline to register is 11:59 PM CDT September 19, 2025.
Details can be found at the workshop webpage: https://sti.usra.edu/4th-tdamm/
2025 Roman Merch Store Now Open Through Sunday October 05
Get some of the trendiest Roman Merch on the market. Orders can be placed now and will remain open only through October 5th at midnight. No orders will be accepted after the closing.
Please use this link to access the 2025 Roman Merchandise store - NASA Roman Merchandise – Holiday 2025 https://nasaromanholiday2025.itemorder.com/shop/home/
Roman Virtual Lecture Series Thursday, Sep 25 at 4pm EDT
Our next Roman Virtual Lecture is on Thursday September 25 from 1-1:30 PM PT / 4-4:30 PM ET. Please see the talk details below.
The meeting will be recorded and posted to the RVLS website (where you can also find previous lectures) here:
https://roman.ipac.caltech.edu/events?category=virtual-lecture-series
If you are interested in giving or nominating a speaker for a RVLS, please let us know!
*************
Optimizing Roman Photometric Redshifts for HLIS
Brett Andrews
(U of Pittsburgh)
Sept 25, 2025
1-1:30 PM PDT / 4-4:30 PM EDT
Photo-z’s are crucial for the main cosmology, galaxy evolution, and transient science drivers of Roman. The transformative nature of the Roman dataset presents both new challenges but also new opportunities for photo-z estimation. First, I will describe our photo-z forecasts that helped guide the HLIS survey design recommendations, especially the filter choices across the medium and wide tiers. These efforts assumed a fair spectroscopic redshift dataset for training and calibration, but that assumption is not currently achieved in deep imaging surveys. To address this need, our group is pursuing a multi-faceted approach to obtain additional spectroscopy, develop better re-weighting/interpolation methods, and implement an independent cross-check on the redshift distributions using clustering redshifts. Finally, I will discuss our efforts to understand whether deep learning models can leverage the information in high-resolution space-based imaging to achieve better photo-z’s than is possible with photometry alone.
*************
Dial-In Information: To receive lecture announcements and webinar connection information, please subscribe to this mailing list.
New Version of the Roman ETC Released
Version R2025.9 of Roman WFI ETC is released this week! This release includes several new features, including:
- New multi-accumulation tables (Revision G)
- Updated Point Spread Functions from STPSF
- Updated detector parameters from ground test analyses
- Updated infrared background emission model
- 4 new sample workbooks including 3 demonstration Core Community Surveys programs.
For more information, please check out the Release Notes and Known Issues.
Hold The Date: RAPID Response: Hot-wiring the Next Generation of Time-Domain Science
Where: Caltech, Pasadena, CA
When: March 23 - 27, 2026
New conference announcement: As we enter the era of multi-wavelength and multi-messenger surveys with rich but disparate datasets, there is a growing need to revisit the software infrastructure required to push the limits of time-domain science. Building on the legacy of the Zwicky Transient Facility, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory has opened its eye to the dynamic sky and is unleashing a wave of millions of alerts per night. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will launch no later than May 2027, is set to unveil the transient universe in the infrared (IR). New surveys on the horizon such as DSA-2000 and ULTRASAT will push beyond optical and IR wavelengths into the radio and near-UV. Now is therefore the ideal time to revisit and address the software infrastructure needed to pursue breakthrough science enabled by low-latency alerts, multi-wavelength/messenger discovery, machine learning, and science platforms / alert brokers / marshals.
Details can be found at the conference webpage: https://conference.ipac.caltech.edu/rapid-hotwiring2026/
Roman WFI Calibration Working Group Meeting
Last week, the Roman WFI Calibration Working Group met at STScI to tackle the fine details that make great data possible — from detector non-linearity to darks, persistence & more. Want to join CalWG (or another WG)? Explore here: http://bit.ly/3VWajr7
Roman Coronagraph Community Participation Program Meeting
Last week, the Roman Coronagraph Community Participation Program (CPP) met at IPAC to start gearing up for commissioning, observations with the Coronagraph, and preparing for the launch of NASA’s Roman Space Telescope next year. Find out more at: https://www.romancoronagraph.space/
Have Something to Share or Promote? Submit Your Own Announcement
Roman is a community mission. To that end, we encourage you to share and submit your own announcements in our weekly newsletter. Please submit any request here.
Stay Connected and Up To Date
Excited about all the progress with Roman? Want to stay in the know? Now is the time to join the Roman community.
If you are already part of the Roman community, please consider importing our calendar to stay up to date, joining one of the new working groups, and contributing to Roman participation in AAS.
Self-Nominations for the Roman Science User Panel
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is NASA’s next flagship mission. The Roman Project welcomes self-nominations to serve on the Roman Science Users Panel (RSUP) for a term of 2-3 years.
RSUP will represent the broader science user community of Roman, providing feedback, suggestions and advice on behalf of users to all elements of the Project. Specifically, the User Panel will:
Comment on the services and support provided by all elements of the Project, Project Science Office at GSFC/NASA, Science Operations Center at STScI and Science Support Center at IPAC, advising on improvements, adjustments and additions to those services where needed.
Identify and report on challenges and opportunities facing the community using or accessing Roman data.
Provide feedback on Roman data services under design or development.
Comment on policies and programmatic aspects of Roman science management.
Assess the efficacy of communication channels used to reach the community, and suggest improvements as needed.
Submit two written reports per year to the Science Support Center, Science Operations Center, and Project Science Office, to be made available to the community and to NASA, summarizing their input and suggestions to the project.
The RSUP should reflect the breadth of science enabled by Roman, as well as the variety of institutions, career stages, and backgrounds of the Roman user community. If you have relevant expertise and are willing to serve on the RSUP, please consider self-nominating. To nominate yourself to the RSUP, please fill out this form by Friday August 22nd 8 pm Eastern/5 pm Pacific. While self-nominations will be considered until the committee is formed, submissions received by this date will receive full consideration.
Registration Open: TDAMM Workshop: Advancing Community Observing Plans for Rapid Follow-Up of Explosive Transients.
NASA's new Astrophysics Cross-Observatory Science Support (ACROSS) initiative is organizing the 4th Time Domain and Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (TDAMM) Workshop. This workshop will focus on developing community observing plans to enable the rapid and coordinated follow-up of explosive transients by space-based and ground-based observatories. NASA invites US and international members of the ground and space science communities to attend the workshop and contribute to its final product, a publicly available white paper with findings for relevant agencies and the broader astrophysics community.
It will be held October 27-30, 2025 in Huntsville, Alabama.
Deadline to register is 11:59 PM CDT September 19, 2025.
Details can be found at the workshop webpage: https://sti.usra.edu/4th-tdamm/
Reminder: First Look Observation Input due August 11, 2025 at 5 pm Eastern time
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is NASA’s next flagship mission. When fully operational in 2027, Roman will provide the astronomical community with an unparalleled opportunity to conduct high-resolution, wide-field surveys at near-infrared wavelengths. To debut Roman to the world, the Roman Project will pursue a program of First Look Observations which will be among the first images and spectra taken by the mission during observatory commissioning. These observations are intended to have high impact and mass appeal for a public audience. They should also be of scientific value.
Full Details: https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/wfi_first_look.html
Have Something to Share or Promote? Submit Your Own Announcement
Roman is a community mission. To that end, we encourage you to share and submit your own announcements in our weekly newsletter. Please submit any request here.
Stay Connected and Up To Date
Excited about all the progress with Roman? Want to stay in the know? Now is the time to join the Roman community.
If you are already part of the Roman community, please consider importing our calendar to stay up to date, joining one of the new working groups, and contributing to Roman participation in AAS.
NASA Installs Key ‘Sunblock’ Shield on Roman Space Telescope
Technicians have successfully installed two sunshields onto NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s inner segment. Along with the observatory’s Solar Array Sun Shield and Deployable Aperture Cover, the panels (together called the Lower Instrument Sun Shade), will play a critical role in keeping Roman’s instruments cool and stable as the mission explores the infrared universe.
One Survey by NASA’s Roman Could Unveil 100,000 Cosmic Explosions
Scientists predict one of the major surveys by NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope may reveal around 100,000 celestial blasts, ranging from exploding stars to feeding black holes. Roman may even find evidence of some of the universe’s first stars, which are thought to completely self-destruct without leaving any remnant behind.
Full article: https://www.nasa.gov/missions/roman-space-telescope/one-survey-by-nasas-roman-could-unveil-100000-cosmic-explosions/
Reminder: First Look Observation Input due August 11, 2025 at 5 pm Eastern time
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is NASA’s next flagship mission. When fully operational in 2027, Roman will provide the astronomical community with an unparalleled opportunity to conduct high-resolution, wide-field surveys at near-infrared wavelengths. To debut Roman to the world, the Roman Project will pursue a program of First Look Observations which will be among the first images and spectra taken by the mission during observatory commissioning. These observations are intended to have high impact and mass appeal for a public audience. They should also be of scientific value.
Full Details: https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/wfi_first_look.html
Reminder: Roman Coronagraph Instrument White Papers due August 07, 2025
NASA has created the Community Participation Program (CPP) to prepare for and execute Coronagraph observations. In order to engage the coronagraph / exoplanet community in the definition of this observing program, the CPP is sponsoring a call for White Papers to collect concepts for technology demonstration and scientific exploration observations with the Coronagraph, with a submission deadline of August 7th. All members of the science and technology community, across all career stages, positions, and types of institutions, are encouraged to submit their technology and science investigation ideas. White papers will be reviewed by members of the CPP team and will be used to inform the planning of Roman Coronagraph observations. Coronagraph observations are not planned to be part of the Roman General Investigator Program, so this white paper call is intended to provide the main avenue for the community to influence observational priorities. Unless authors opt out, submitted white papers will be published on the CPP website.
The full solicitation for this white paper call, as well as resources for authors, can be found at:
https://www.romancoronagraph.space/white-papers-2025
Have Something to Share or Promote? Submit Your Own Announcement
Roman is a community mission. To that end, we encourage you to share and submit your own announcements in our weekly newsletter. Please submit any request here.
Stay Connected and Up To Date
Excited about all the progress with Roman? Want to stay in the know? Now is the time to join the Roman community.
If you are already part of the Roman community, please consider importing our calendar to stay up to date, joining one of the new working groups, and contributing to Roman participation in AAS.
Roman Lowered into TVAC Chamber
Courtesy of Maxime Rizzo (GSFC):
A picture of the Spacecraft Integrated Payload Assembly (SCIPA) being lowered into the TVAC chamber. The SCIPA includes the Imaging Optical Assembly (IOA) composed of the primary, secondary, and other mirrors and their supporting structures, the instrument carrier, the Wide Field Instrument (WFI) and Coronagraph, and the spacecraft bus, which includes electronics, the communications module, and the propulsion system.The remaining components, such as the Outer Barrel Assembly (OBA), Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS), and Deployable Aperture Cover (DAC) will be integrated later.
Roman Virtual Lecture Series Thursday, July 31 at 4pm EDT
Our next Roman Virtual Lecture is on Thursday July 31 from 1-1:30 PM PT / 4-4:30 PM ET. Please see the talk details below.
The meeting will be recorded and posted to the RVLS website (where you can also find previous lectures) here:
https://roman.ipac.caltech.edu/events?category=virtual-lecture-series
If you are interested in giving or nominating a speaker for a RVLS, please let us know!
*************
Accreting neutron stars and black holes in our Galaxy through the lens of Roman
Arash Bahramian
(Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy)
Over the past decade, our understanding of the population and behavior of compact objects has shifted significantly, thanks to a multitude of novel facilities, from gravitational wave observatories, astrometry missions like Gaia, and sensitive radio facilities such as MeerKAT. While some of our earlier questions about black holes and neutron stars may have been answered, many newer ones have arised. In the next frontier, facilities like Roman are the vital catalysts revealing the mysteries of these objects and helping us better understand how black holes might be forming in our Galaxy (clues about supernovae and natal kicks from observations), how many black holes might be out there in our Galaxy (clues about formation mechanism and environment), and the extreme behaviour of matter around these object (mass-transfer, accretion and jets). In this talk, I briefly review some of the current questions and recent discoveries on the topic, and discuss the exciting opportunities that Roman can provide in helping us studying these systems further.
*************
Dial-In Information: To receive lecture announcements and webinar connection information, please subscribe to this mailing list.
Reminder: First Look Observation Input due August 11, 2025 at 5 pm Eastern time
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is NASA’s next flagship mission. When fully operational in 2027, Roman will provide the astronomical community with an unparalleled opportunity to conduct high-resolution, wide-field surveys at near-infrared wavelengths. To debut Roman to the world, the Roman Project will pursue a program of First Look Observations which will be among the first images and spectra taken by the mission during observatory commissioning. These observations are intended to have high impact and mass appeal for a public audience. They should also be of scientific value.
Full Details: https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/wfi_first_look.html
Reminder: Roman Coronagraph Instrument White Papers due August 07, 2025
NASA has created the Community Participation Program (CPP) to prepare for and execute Coronagraph observations. In order to engage the coronagraph / exoplanet community in the definition of this observing program, the CPP is sponsoring a call for White Papers to collect concepts for technology demonstration and scientific exploration observations with the Coronagraph, with a submission deadline of August 7th. All members of the science and technology community, across all career stages, positions, and types of institutions, are encouraged to submit their technology and science investigation ideas. White papers will be reviewed by members of the CPP team and will be used to inform the planning of Roman Coronagraph observations. Coronagraph observations are not planned to be part of the Roman General Investigator Program, so this white paper call is intended to provide the main avenue for the community to influence observational priorities. Unless authors opt out, submitted white papers will be published on the CPP website.
The full solicitation for this white paper call, as well as resources for authors, can be found at:
https://www.romancoronagraph.space/white-papers-2025
Last Chance to Register: Near-field Science with the Roman High Latitude Wide Area Survey
From the SOC:
We are pleased to announce a Roman Science workshop on the potential for near-field science from the recently-approved Roman High Latitude Wide Area Survey.
When: August 13th—15th, 2025
Where: IPAC, Pasadena, CA. There may be limited options for remote participation.
How: Register your interest in attending by June 30, 2025. Attendance will be confirmed in early July.
Who: SOC is Ben Williams (University of Washington; Co-Chair), Robyn Sanderson (University of Pennsylvania; Co-Chair), Adrien Thob (University of Pennsylvania), Lee Armus (IPAC; local host). Contact us with questions at near-field-roman-hlwas@googlegroups.com.
Why?
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, planned to launch in late 2026, has 3 approved Core Community Surveys. One of these is a 5000 degree survey covering areas away from the Galactic Plane. This wide area, high-resolution survey, reaching depths of m_AB ~ 26.5, will be available to the public as the data are taken, and the footprint of the survey has now been defined. This depth will provide precise photometric and astrometric measurements for large samples of stars in the Galactic halo, many galaxies in the Local Group and Local Volume, and more.
This workshop will focus on potential GA projects that can use the HLWAS to study the Local Group, nearby galaxies and the Galactic halo. There will be some invited presentations for background, but the bulk of the program will be breakout sessions devoted to discussing potential projects, fostering collaborations, and learning to work with Roman data through simulated data production.
Additional details and tentative program at the conference website.
We look forward to seeing you in Pasadena!
Ben, Robyn, Adrien, & Lee
Have Something to Share or Promote? Submit Your Own Announcement
Roman is a community mission. To that end, we encourage you to share and submit your own announcements in our weekly newsletter. Please submit any request here.
Stay Connected and Up To Date
Excited about all the progress with Roman? Want to stay in the know? Now is the time to join the Roman community.
If you are already part of the Roman community, please consider importing our calendar to stay up to date, joining one of the new working groups, and contributing to Roman participation in AAS.
Roman Science Symposium: Summary and Recordings
Wow! What a week. STScI hosted the annual Roman Science Symposium from July 14-18, 2025, entitled “Cosmic Cartography with Roman: Advances in Galaxy Structures, Distributions, Dark Matter, and Dark Energy.”
This symposium explored novel research that will be made possible by Roman and discussed how the community can optimize scientific returns in the future, with a specific focus on the intersection of dark energy and dark matter with galaxy formation and evolution.
Attendance included 150 in-person and over 50 virtual attendees, including strong representation from around the world and across complementing survey missions, including Euclid, Rubin, DESI, Simons Observatory, and SPT.
A link to all talk recordings can be found here.
Roman About to Head Into ThermalVac Testing
Here’s the latest image of Roman in the NASA Goddard clean room, plus some notes from Jeremy Perkins (GSFC):
In prep for Spacecraft Integrated Payload Assembly (SCIPA) TVAC, the LISS (lower instrument sun shields) were deployed today. SCIPA moves to the TVAC chamber Monday morning.There’s a test version of the outer barrel assembly installed right now that’s used for TVAC and you can see the bronze colored lift brackets installed on the corners. All of the umbilical cables for TVAC are draped off of the lift brackets to keep them out of the way as it gets moved down the hall and into the chamber.
Call for Community Input for Roman Wide Field Instrument First Look Observations
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is NASA’s next flagship mission. When fully operational in 2027, Roman will provide the astronomical community with an unparalleled opportunity to conduct high-resolution, wide-field surveys at near-infrared wavelengths. To debut Roman to the world, the Roman Project will pursue a program of First Look Observations which will be among the first images and spectra taken by the mission during observatory commissioning. These observations are intended to have high impact and mass appeal for a public audience. They should also be of scientific value.
Full Details: https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/wfi_first_look.html
Have Something to Share or Promote? Submit Your Own Announcement
Roman is a community mission. To that end, we encourage you to share and submit your own announcements in our weekly newsletter. Please submit any request here.
Stay Connected and Up To Date
Excited about all the progress with Roman? Want to stay in the know? Now is the time to join the Roman community.
If you are already part of the Roman community, please consider importing our calendar to stay up to date, joining one of the new working groups, and contributing to Roman participation in AAS.
Solar Panels Installed
On June 14 and 16, technicians installed solar panels onto NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, one of the final steps in assembling the observatory. Collectively called the Solar Array Sun Shield, these panels will power and shade the observatory, enabling all the mission’s observations and helping keep the instruments cool.
Deep Space Dialogues
STScI has a new public talk series. This month will spotlight Roman in honor of the Roman Symposium. Kristy McQuinn and Robyn Sanderson will take us on a journey through space and time in the search for Earth 2.0. Please consider sharing with your friends, family, or anyone who might be interested in learning more about Roman.
📅 July 16
🕖 7 PM EDT
🔗 https://tinyurl.com/deepdialogue
Calendar Sync Issues
It has been reported that there may be permission problems syncing your favorite Confluence Calendar with your favorite external calendar client (i.e., iCal, Google) when you hit the "Subscribe" button (and choose your favorite calendar). It turns out this a new "bug" associated with Confluence 9.2. Please see the following link for a description of the problem and solution. For me, I found the following modification to the calendar link works:
Old Link: https://outerspace.stsci.edu/rest/calendar-services/1.0/calendar/export/subcalendar/private/31299387e5ecd877700949f1c89dbaf4e4a4db3e.ics
New Link: https://outerspace.stsci.edu/rest/calendar-services/1.0/calendar/export/subcalendar/private/31299387e5ecd877700949f1c89dbaf4e4a4db3e.ics?os_authType=none
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Research and Support Participation Opportunities Abstracts of Selected Proposals
Earlier this year, Roman solicited proposals (NNH24ZDA001N-ROMAN) to work on preparation for the operational phase of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, including both Wide Field Science (WFS) and the Coronagraph Community Participation Program (CPP). Proposals have now been selected.
Full list of abstracts: https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument/cmdocumentid=1083255/solicitationId=%7B13570A2B-EE5C-553E-B73A-6312B84CFDAA%7D/viewSolicitationDocument=1/Roman24_Selected_Abstracts.pdf
Call for Community Input for Roman Wide Field Instrument First Look Observations
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is NASA’s next flagship mission. When fully operational in 2027, Roman will provide the astronomical community with an unparalleled opportunity to conduct high-resolution, wide-field surveys at near-infrared wavelengths. To debut Roman to the world, the Roman Project will pursue a program of First Look Observations which will be among the first images and spectra taken by the mission during observatory commissioning. These observations are intended to have high impact and mass appeal for a public audience. They should also be of scientific value.
Full Details: https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/wfi_first_look.html
Have Something to Share or Promote? Submit Your Own Announcement
Roman is a community mission. To that end, we encourage you to share and submit your own announcements in our weekly newsletter. Please submit any request here.
Stay Connected and Up To Date
Excited about all the progress with Roman? Want to stay in the know? Now is the time to join the Roman community.
If you are already part of the Roman community, please consider importing our calendar to stay up to date, joining one of the new working groups, and contributing to Roman participation in AAS.
Calendar Sync Issues
It has been reported that there may be permission problems syncing your favorite Confluence Calendar with your favorite external calendar client (i.e., iCal, Google) when you hit the "Subscribe" button (and choose your favorite calendar). It turns out this a new "bug" associated with Confluence 9.2. Please see the following link for a description of the problem and solution. For me, I found the following modification to the calendar link works:
Old Link: https://outerspace.stsci.edu/rest/calendar-services/1.0/calendar/export/subcalendar/private/31299387e5ecd877700949f1c89dbaf4e4a4db3e.ics
New Link: https://outerspace.stsci.edu/rest/calendar-services/1.0/calendar/export/subcalendar/private/31299387e5ecd877700949f1c89dbaf4e4a4db3e.ics?os_authType=none
Reminder: Coronagraph White Paper Town Halls
- Slides and recording posted from first town hall at https://www.romancoronagraph.space/white-papers-2025
- Town hall for early career researchers: Tuesday July 1, 17.00 UTC, 1 pm Eastern / 10 am Pacific. Zoom link, password: RomanCPP25
- General town hall: Tuesday July 8, 14.00 UTC, 3 pm BST / 4 pm CEST / 10 am EDT / 7 am PDT. Zoom link, password: RomanCPP25
NASA has created the Community Participation Program (CPP) to prepare for and execute Coronagraph observations. In order to engage the coronagraph / exoplanet community in the definition of this observing program, the CPP is sponsoring a call for White Papers to collect concepts for technology demonstration and scientific exploration observations with the Coronagraph, with a submission deadline of August 7th. All members of the science and technology community, across all career stages, positions, and types of institutions, are encouraged to submit their technology and science investigation ideas. White papers will be reviewed by members of the CPP team and will be used to inform the planning of Roman Coronagraph observations. Coronagraph observations are not planned to be part of the Roman General Investigator Program, so this white paper call is intended to provide the main avenue for the community to influence observational priorities. Unless authors opt out, submitted white papers will be published on the CPP website.
The full solicitation for this white paper call, as well as resources for authors, can be found at:
https://www.romancoronagraph.space/white-papers-2025
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Research and Support Participation Opportunities Abstracts of Selected Proposals
Earlier this year, Roman solicited proposals (NNH24ZDA001N-ROMAN) to work on preparation for the operational phase of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, including both Wide Field Science (WFS) and the Coronagraph Community Participation Program (CPP). Proposals have now been selected.
Full list of abstracts: https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument/cmdocumentid=1083255/solicitationId=%7B13570A2B-EE5C-553E-B73A-6312B84CFDAA%7D/viewSolicitationDocument=1/Roman24_Selected_Abstracts.pdf
New STScI Newsletter: Roman’s Core Community Surveys Are Now Defined
The Core Community Surveys will serve as the mechanism through which Roman will investigate the nature of dark energy and dark matter (through the High-Latitude Wide-Area and Time-Domain Surveys) and extend our knowledge of the demographics of exoplanets (through the Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey). To meet Roman’s science requirements in cosmology and exoplanet demographics, the execution of the surveys will require the majority of the observing time during Roman’s primary five-year mission. Thus, an equally important consideration in their design is to enable a broad range of science investigations. Via a community process, three definition committees were charged with creating three implementation options for each survey — a nominal, an underguide, and an overguide design — that would meet Roman’s science requirements for cosmology or exoplanet demographics while maximizing the science investigations that each survey would enable. The allotted time for each survey implementation option was set by Roman’s Project Science Office. The definition committees began their work in January 2024 and delivered their reports to the Roman project and the Roman Observations Time Allocation Committee (ROTAC) in December 2024.
Last Chance to Register: Near-field Science with the Roman High Latitude Wide Area Survey
From the SOC:
We are pleased to announce a Roman Science workshop on the potential for near-field science from the recently-approved Roman High Latitude Wide Area Survey.
When: August 13th—15th, 2025
Where: IPAC, Pasadena, CA. There may be limited options for remote participation.
How: Register your interest in attending by June 30, 2025. Attendance will be confirmed in early July.
Who: SOC is Ben Williams (University of Washington; Co-Chair), Robyn Sanderson (University of Pennsylvania; Co-Chair), Adrien Thob (University of Pennsylvania), Lee Armus (IPAC; local host). Contact us with questions at near-field-roman-hlwas@googlegroups.com.
Why?
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, planned to launch in late 2026, has 3 approved Core Community Surveys. One of these is a 5000 degree survey covering areas away from the Galactic Plane. This wide area, high-resolution survey, reaching depths of m_AB ~ 26.5, will be available to the public as the data are taken, and the footprint of the survey hasnow been defined. This depth will provide precise photometric and astrometric measurements for large samples of stars in the Galactic halo, many galaxies in the Local Group and Local Volume, and more.
This workshop will focus on potential GA projects that can use the HLWAS to study the Local Group, nearby galaxies and the Galactic halo. There will be some invited presentations for background, but the bulk of the program will be breakout sessions devoted to discussing potential projects, fostering collaborations, and learning to work with Roman data through simulated data production.
Additional details and tentative program at the conference website.
We look forward to seeing you in Pasadena!
Ben, Robyn, Adrien, & Lee
Call for Community Input for Roman Wide Field Instrument First Look Observations
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is NASA’s next flagship mission. When fully operational in 2027, Roman will provide the astronomical community with an unparalleled opportunity to conduct high-resolution, wide-field surveys at near-infrared wavelengths. To debut Roman to the world, the Roman Project will pursue a program of First Look Observations which will be among the first images and spectra taken by the mission during observatory commissioning. These observations are intended to have high impact and mass appeal for a public audience. They should also be of scientific value.
Full Details: https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/wfi_first_look.html
Have Something to Share or Promote? Submit Your Own Announcement
Roman is a community mission. To that end, we encourage you to share and submit your own announcements in our weekly newsletter. Please submit any request here.
Stay Connected and Up To Date
Excited about all the progress with Roman? Want to stay in the know? Now is the time to join the Roman community.
If you are already part of the Roman community, please consider importing our calendar to stay up to date, joining one of the new working groups, and contributing to Roman participation in AAS.
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Research and Support Participation Opportunities Abstracts of Selected Proposals
Earlier this year, Roman solicited proposals (NNH24ZDA001N-ROMAN) to work on preparation for the operational phase of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, including both Wide Field Science (WFS) and the Coronagraph Community Participation Program (CPP). Proposals have now been selected.
Full list of abstracts: https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument/cmdocumentid=1083255/solicitationId=%7B13570A2B-EE5C-553E-B73A-6312B84CFDAA%7D/viewSolicitationDocument=1/Roman24_Selected_Abstracts.pdf
New STScI Newsletter: Roman’s Core Community Surveys Are Now Defined
The Core Community Surveys will serve as the mechanism through which Roman will investigate the nature of dark energy and dark matter (through the High-Latitude Wide-Area and Time-Domain Surveys) and extend our knowledge of the demographics of exoplanets (through the Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey). To meet Roman’s science requirements in cosmology and exoplanet demographics, the execution of the surveys will require the majority of the observing time during Roman’s primary five-year mission. Thus, an equally important consideration in their design is to enable a broad range of science investigations. Via a community process, three definition committees were charged with creating three implementation options for each survey — a nominal, an underguide, and an overguide design — that would meet Roman’s science requirements for cosmology or exoplanet demographics while maximizing the science investigations that each survey would enable. The allotted time for each survey implementation option was set by Roman’s Project Science Office. The definition committees began their work in January 2024 and delivered their reports to the Roman project and the Roman Observations Time Allocation Committee (ROTAC) in December 2024.
First Announcement: Near-field Science with the Roman High Latitude Wide Area Survey
From the SOC:
We are pleased to announce a Roman Science workshop on the potential for near-field science from the recently-approved Roman High Latitude Wide Area Survey.
When: August 13th—15th, 2025
Where: IPAC, Pasadena, CA. There may be limited options for remote participation.
How: Register your interest in attending by June 30, 2025. Attendance will be confirmed in early July.
Who: SOC is Ben Williams (University of Washington; Co-Chair), Robyn Sanderson (University of Pennsylvania; Co-Chair), Adrien Thob (University of Pennsylvania), Lee Armus (IPAC; local host). Contact us with questions at near-field-roman-hlwas@googlegroups.com.
Why?
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, planned to launch in late 2026, has 3 approved Core Community Surveys. One of these is a 5000 degree survey covering areas away from the Galactic Plane. This wide area, high-resolution survey, reaching depths of m_AB ~ 26.5, will be available to the public as the data are taken, and the footprint of the survey hasnow been defined. This depth will provide precise photometric and astrometric measurements for large samples of stars in the Galactic halo, many galaxies in the Local Group and Local Volume, and more.
This workshop will focus on potential GA projects that can use the HLWAS to study the Local Group, nearby galaxies and the Galactic halo. There will be some invited presentations for background, but the bulk of the program will be breakout sessions devoted to discussing potential projects, fostering collaborations, and learning to work with Roman data through simulated data production.
Additional details and tentative program at the conference website.
We look forward to seeing you in Pasadena!
Ben, Robyn, Adrien, & Lee
Call for Community Input for Roman Wide Field Instrument First Look Observations
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is NASA’s next flagship mission. When fully operational in 2027, Roman will provide the astronomical community with an unparalleled opportunity to conduct high-resolution, wide-field surveys at near-infrared wavelengths. To debut Roman to the world, the Roman Project will pursue a program of First Look Observations which will be among the first images and spectra taken by the mission during observatory commissioning. These observations are intended to have high impact and mass appeal for a public audience. They should also be of scientific value.
Full Details: https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/wfi_first_look.html
Roman Coronagraph Instrument Call for White Papers
NASA has created the Community Participation Program (CPP) to prepare for and execute Coronagraph observations. In order to engage the coronagraph / exoplanet community in the definition of this observing program, the CPP is sponsoring a call for White Papers to collect concepts for technology demonstration and scientific exploration observations with the Coronagraph, with a submission deadline of August 7th. All members of the science and technology community, across all career stages, positions, and types of institutions, are encouraged to submit their technology and science investigation ideas. White papers will be reviewed by members of the CPP team and will be used to inform the planning of Roman Coronagraph observations. Coronagraph observations are not planned to be part of the Roman General Investigator Program, so this white paper call is intended to provide the main avenue for the community to influence observational priorities. Unless authors opt out, submitted white papers will be published on the CPP website.
The full solicitation for this white paper call, as well as resources for authors, can be found at:
https://www.romancoronagraph.space/white-papers-2025
Have Something to Share or Promote? Submit Your Own Announcement
Roman is a community mission. To that end, we encourage you to share and submit your own announcements in our weekly newsletter. Please submit any request here.
Stay Connected and Up To Date
Excited about all the progress with Roman? Want to stay in the know? Now is the time to join the Roman community.
If you are already part of the Roman community, please consider importing our calendar to stay up to date, joining one of the new working groups, and contributing to Roman participation in AAS.
Roman at AAS 246 - Anchorage, Alaska
Roman will have a presence at AAS 246. We have a lot of exciting events and announcements planned. There have been some changes to the schedule. Please check out our complete list of Roman activities and be sure to add us to your calendar. Make sure to stop by the STScI and IPAC booths for special giveaways to showcase throughout the conference, including badge ribbons that say "I Heart Roman" and new stickers with our social media branding.
Roman Science Symposium: Last Chance to Register
We are excited to announce that a preliminary schedule is now available for this year's annual Roman Science Symposium: “Cosmic Cartography with Roman." The symposium is to be held July 14th-18th, 2025, at STScI in Baltimore. Registration will be open until June 9th 2025. To register, please follow this link.
New STScI Newsletter: Roman’s Core Community Surveys Are Now Defined
The Core Community Surveys will serve as the mechanism through which Roman will investigate the nature of dark energy and dark matter (through the High-Latitude Wide-Area and Time-Domain Surveys) and extend our knowledge of the demographics of exoplanets (through the Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey). To meet Roman’s science requirements in cosmology and exoplanet demographics, the execution of the surveys will require the majority of the observing time during Roman’s primary five-year mission. Thus, an equally important consideration in their design is to enable a broad range of science investigations. Via a community process, three definition committees were charged with creating three implementation options for each survey — a nominal, an underguide, and an overguide design — that would meet Roman’s science requirements for cosmology or exoplanet demographics while maximizing the science investigations that each survey would enable. The allotted time for each survey implementation option was set by Roman’s Project Science Office. The definition committees began their work in January 2024 and delivered their reports to the Roman project and the Roman Observations Time Allocation Committee (ROTAC) in December 2024.
New SOC Newsletter (June 2025): The latest news from the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Science Operations Center (SOC) at STScI
The Science Operation Center is hard at work preparing for the Cycle 1 Call for Proposals in Fall 2025. The expected date for the telescope launch is currently October 2026 and no later than May 2027. STScI will host a symposium on "Cosmic Cartography" on July 14-18 in Baltimore, MD. Registrations close on June 9. Several Roman events will be held at the upcoming AAS meeting #246 in Anchorage, AK. Meanwhile, the SpaceCraft + Integrated Payload Assembly (SCIPA) has been undergoing tests at the Goddard Space Flight Center in preparation for the thermal vacuum testing in late Summer 2025.
Full Article: https://www.stsci.edu/contents/news/roman/2025/roman-science-operations-center-newsletter-june
Caption: The High-Latitude Time Domain Survey will repeatedly look at regions of the sky in near-infrared light, opening up a whole new view of the Universe. Thousands of Type Ia supernovae will be detected by this survey to better characterize the acceleration of the Universe and the nature of Dark Energy. The observing program, which has been designed by a community process, is expected to have two components: wide and deep covering, respectively, 18 and 5.5 square degrees. The figure shows the tiling pattern to observe the deepest part of survey that is obtained by overlapping repeated observations with the WFI camera at different angles (animation available). Image credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
First Announcement: Near-field Science with the Roman High Latitude Wide Area Survey
From the SOC:
We are pleased to announce a Roman Science workshop on the potential for near-field science from the recently-approved Roman High Latitude Wide Area Survey.
When: August 13th—15th, 2025
Where: IPAC, Pasadena, CA. There may be limited options for remote participation.
How: Register your interest in attending by June 30, 2025. Attendance will be confirmed in early July.
Who: SOC is Ben Williams (University of Washington; Co-Chair), Robyn Sanderson (University of Pennsylvania; Co-Chair), Adrien Thob (University of Pennsylvania), Lee Armus (IPAC; local host). Contact us with questions at near-field-roman-hlwas@googlegroups.com.
Why?
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, planned to launch in late 2026, has 3 approved Core Community Surveys. One of these is a 5000 degree survey covering areas away from the Galactic Plane. This wide area, high-resolution survey, reaching depths of m_AB ~ 26.5, will be available to the public as the data are taken, and the footprint of the survey hasnow been defined. This depth will provide precise photometric and astrometric measurements for large samples of stars in the Galactic halo, many galaxies in the Local Group and Local Volume, and more.
This workshop will focus on potential GA projects that can use the HLWAS to study the Local Group, nearby galaxies and the Galactic halo. There will be some invited presentations for background, but the bulk of the program will be breakout sessions devoted to discussing potential projects, fostering collaborations, and learning to work with Roman data through simulated data production.
Additional details and tentative program at the conference website.
We look forward to seeing you in Pasadena!
Ben, Robyn, Adrien, & Lee
Call for Community Input for Roman Wide Field Instrument First Look Observations
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is NASA’s next flagship mission. When fully operational in 2027, Roman will provide the astronomical community with an unparalleled opportunity to conduct high-resolution, wide-field surveys at near-infrared wavelengths. To debut Roman to the world, the Roman Project will pursue a program of First Look Observations which will be among the first images and spectra taken by the mission during observatory commissioning. These observations are intended to have high impact and mass appeal for a public audience. They should also be of scientific value.
Full Details: https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/wfi_first_look.html
New Version of Documentation (RDox) Released
The Roman Documentation System (RDox) was updated this week. The latest release focuses on both new articles in and updates to the Data Handbook.
Shaken, But Not Stirred: Core Components for NASA’s Roman Space Telescope Pass Major Shake Test
The core portion of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has successfully completed vibration testing, ensuring it will withstand the extreme shaking experienced during launch. Passing this key milestone brings Roman one step closer to helping answer essential questions about the role of dark energy and other cosmic mysteries.
Full article: https://www.nasa.gov/missions/roman-space-telescope/core-components-for-nasas-roman-space-telescope-pass-major-shake-test/
Click for video of Vibe Test.
Roman Coronagraph Instrument Call for White Papers
NASA has created the Community Participation Program (CPP) to prepare for and execute Coronagraph observations. In order to engage the coronagraph / exoplanet community in the definition of this observing program, the CPP is sponsoring a call for White Papers to collect concepts for technology demonstration and scientific exploration observations with the Coronagraph, with a submission deadline of August 7th. All members of the science and technology community, across all career stages, positions, and types of institutions, are encouraged to submit their technology and science investigation ideas. White papers will be reviewed by members of the CPP team and will be used to inform the planning of Roman Coronagraph observations. Coronagraph observations are not planned to be part of the Roman General Investigator Program, so this white paper call is intended to provide the main avenue for the community to influence observational priorities. Unless authors opt out, submitted white papers will be published on the CPP website.
The full solicitation for this white paper call, as well as resources for authors, can be found at:
https://www.romancoronagraph.space/white-papers-2025
Launch of @NancyRomanSci Social Media for Roman Scientists
We are excited to announce the launch of new social media accounts for scientists who want to work with Roman: @NancyRomanSci! These accounts will promote and distribute practical aspects of the mission relevant to scientists, including, but not limited to, proposal deadlines, conferences, tools, training opportunities, committee reports, software development, instrument capabilities, observation planning, etc. Please follow us to get the most up-to-date information related to doing science with Roman.
https://x.com/nancyromansci
https://bsky.app/profile/nancyromansci.bsky.social
https://www.facebook.com/NancyRomanSci/
https://www.instagram.com/nancyromansci/
Have Something to Share or Promote? Submit Your Own Announcement
Roman is a community mission. To that end, we encourage you to share and submit your own announcements in our weekly newsletter. Please submit any request here.
Stay Connected and Up To Date
Excited about all the progress with Roman? Want to stay in the know? Now is the time to join the Roman community.
If you are already part of the Roman community, please consider importing our calendar to stay up to date, joining one of the new working groups, and contributing to Roman participation in AAS.
