Finite and fun, the game was developed to teach players about cosmic objects and the telescope, which is scheduled to launch in the mid-decade. The new observatory, named after NASA pioneer Nancy Roman, known as the “Mother of Hubble” because it helped give birth to the legendary Hubble Space Telescope, will dramatically expand the researchers’ ability to see and study the universe. Roman was an awesome astronomer, and the observatory that bears her name will investigate mysteries such as what causes the universe to expand and which planets exist beyond our solar system. The Roman space telescope will be Hubble’s “cousin,” the agency said, capturing 100 times more sky than the 1990 telescope with the help of huge 300-megapixel instruments. The new observatory will capture wide-field images of space and map and measure the universe using a variety of cutting-edge techniques. Compared to the mission it promotes, the 8-bit game is really simple. But sometimes it takes a little easy fun to get people interested in science – and excited about an upcoming mission.
