Most complicated challenge in space begins, unfolding $10 bn James Webb Telescope

Ady after James Webb Telescope crossed the height of the month, the engineer started the most challenging assignment in front – mobilizing the Sunshield. The five layer shields will protect equipment in the telescope from the heat produced by the Sun, the Moon and the Earth when the observatory began to operate at the end of January.

This mission managed to mobilize the forward and return pallet structure that applies in it the most unexpected Webb and in many ways complicated components: Sunshiuse. The pallet contains five folded sun membranes, along with cables, pullers, and release mechanisms that form Sunshield Webb.

NASA on the blog is updated that while the actual movement to lower the advanced palette of the break to the position deployed only takes 20 minutes, and the decline of the AFT pallet only takes 18 minutes, the overall process takes several hours for each need to dozens of additional steps.

“Spreading the structure includes close monitoring temperatures, observational maneuvers with respect to the sun to provide optimal temperature, turn on heaters to warm key components, activate the release mechanism, configure electronics and software,” said NASA), “said NASA.

Made from five shields about three tennis courts from Kapton material which is very thin about one to two Rp inch thick, only 140 release mechanisms, 70 hinge assemblies, eight motorbike deployments, bearings, springs, gears, 400 pulley, and 1312 foot cable. All must work perfectly for shields to use.

The engineers say that for deployment occur, 107 sunshield release mechanisms need to shoot on a signal for shields to be fully open. That’s 107.

“The opening of the pallet marks the beginning of the main structural spread of Webb and also the beginning of the sun deployment phase that will continue at least this Sunday,” NASA said.

Sunshield is very important so if it’s not there to keep the telescope and instruments very cool, Webb will not be able to observe the universe in a manner designed.

With the settlement of the spread of pallets, scientists will spread the momentum flap that will help keep the telescope stable from the solar wind about its structure. The use of Flap Momentum helps minimize fuel use during the mission.

When we submitted this story, The James Webb Space Telescope has discussed more than 52,000 kilometers of open space from Earth, completing 36 percent of his journey to the second Lagrange point (L2). The telescope, once at the end of January, will solve mysteries in our solar system, look out it is far around the other around the stars, and investigate the mysterious structure and the origin of our universe and our place in it.