Webb Space Telescope: Sunshield’s Second and Third Layers are Fully Tight

Webb Space Telescope: Sunshield’s Second and Third Layers are Fully Tight

Webb Space Telescope: Sunshield’s Second and Third Layers are Fully Tight

Webb sunshield tensioning. Image: NASA

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The first three layers of the observatory’s kite-shaped sunshield, measuring 47 feet broad and 70 feet long, have been tensioned by the Webb team.

Mid-afternoon, the first layer was finished, fully tight and in its final shape.

The second layer was started at 4:09 p.m. EST today, and it took 74 minutes to complete. The third layer started at 5:48 p.m. EST and took 71 minutes to complete. From the beginning stages this morning until the third layer reached tension, the tensioning procedure took slightly over five and a half hours.

These are the three layers that are nearest to the Sun. Tomorrow is when the final two layers will be tensioned.

Read more: Five things to know about the James Webb Space Telescope

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“The membrane tensioning phase of sunshield deployment is especially challenging because there are complex interactions between the structures, the tensioning mechanisms, the cables and the membranes,” said James Cooper, NASA’s Webb sunshield manager, based at Goddard Space Flight Center. “This was the hardest part to test on the ground, so it feels awesome to have everything go so well today. The Northrop and NASA team is doing great work, and we look forward to tensioning the remaining layers.”

The sunshield will shelter the telescope from the Sun’s rays once fully deployed. It will reach a maximum temperature of 383K (230 degrees F) while keeping the instruments chilly at 36K (-394 degrees F).

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