August 11, 2026 GRAA Luncheon
American Legion Post #136
6900 Greenbelt Road
Greenbelt, MD 20771
Cost: $12
The August 11, 2026 speakers will be Dr. Jennifer Wiseman and Jim Jeletic whose presentation will be “The Hubble Space Telescope: Eyeing the Future”.
Dr. Jennifer Wiseman is a senior astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center where she serves as the senior project scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope. Her primary responsibility is to ensure that the Hubble mission is as scientifically productive as possible. Previously, Wiseman headed Goddard’s Laboratory for Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics. She started her career at NASA in 2003 as the program scientist for Hubble and several other astrophysics missions at NASA Headquarters.
Wiseman’s scientific expertise is centered on the study of star-forming regions in our galaxy using a variety of tools, including radio, optical and infrared telescopes. She has a particular interest in dense interstellar gas cloud cores, embedded protostars, and their related outflows as active ingredients of cosmic nurseries where stars and their planetary systems are born.
As an undergraduate, Wiseman studied physics at MIT, where she discovered the comet 114P/Wiseman-Skiff. She then earned a Ph.D. in astronomy at Harvard University and continued her research as a Jansky Fellow at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and as a Hubble Fellow at The Johns Hopkins University.
In addition to research in astrophysics, Wiseman is also interested in science policy and public science outreach and engagement. She has served as a congressional science fellow of the American Physical Society, an elected councilor of the American Astronomical Society and a public dialogue leader for the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She enjoys giving talks on the excitement of astronomy and scientific discovery, and has appeared in many science and news venues, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NOVA and National Public Radio.
Wiseman grew up on a small farm in the Ozark Mountains of rural Arkansas and loves animals, forests, night skies and exploring nature.
Jim Jeletic is the deputy project manager for the Hubble Space Telescope mission at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Jeletic’s career at NASA began in 1984 developing orbit, attitude and mission planning ground systems in the flight dynamics organization. His work included specializing in the development of computer applications for visualizing spacecraft and space environment data. He served 13 years in that organization, becoming head of the software engineering branch and a co-director of NASA’s Software Engineering Laboratory.
Jeletic’s involvement with Hubble began in 1998 when he accepted the position of science operations manager. In that position, he coordinated the science side of mission operations, oversaw the administration and budget of the research grant program, and was heavily involved in public outreach. He became Hubble’s deputy project manager in 2011 where he supports the project manager in overseeing all aspects of the mission. Jeletic also leads the mission’s outreach and communications effort and is often the voice of Hubble for news-media interview requests. In addition to his Hubble responsibilities, Jeletic supported or led various activities related to establishing the science and operations center for the James Webb Space Telescope, as well as studies and proposals for advanced X-ray telescope missions.
Jeletic was born and raised in Avalon, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. He earned a Bachelor of Science and Engineering degree in computer science and engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and a master’s degree in engineering management from the George Washington University.
Throughout his career, Jeletic has received seven NASA innovation awards for his early work in visualization, 14 NASA agency and center group achievement awards, and a NASA Exceptional Service award for his work on Hubble science operations and outreach.
Jeletic lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with his wife and has three children. He enjoys numerous activities including amateur astronomy, sports photography, cycling, and genealogy. As a former NCAA Division I athlete, he officiates yearly at the Penn Relays, the largest track meet outside of the Olympics.