The Hubble telescope orbits about five hundred fifty kilometers above Earth. Ms. Roman still remembers the first images that it captured.

NANCY GRACE ROMAN: “I think the image that to me was most striking was the center of a globular cluster. You could see each star individually, and see their color, and it was just a fantastic sight.”

The Hubble Space Telescope has helped expand our knowledge of the universe. It helped scientists estimate that the universe began about fourteen billion years ago. Ed Weiler says the telescope also confirmed the existence of black holes. These are extremely dense masses believed to exist at the center of most galaxies. Their gravitational pull is so strong, they absorb light.

The Hubble Space Telescope completed its one millionth scientific observation in July. The space agency is building a new space telescope to look even deeper into the beginnings of the universe.

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KATHERINE COLE: On a large map of the United States, it looks almost like a mistake. But if you look closely enough you will see a number of small islands stretching into the Atlantic Ocean. The island chain is about three hundred twenty kilometers in length, and stretches mostly in a north to south direction.

This area is known as the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It is a land of “firsts.” The first English settlers landed nearby on Roanoke Island in the late fifteen hundreds. This is where Virginia Dare was born. She was the first English child born in North America.