WASHINGTON – The United States Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that it has successfully installed a tennis court-sized solar shield on the James Webb Space Telescope, Tuesday (4/1). It became an important milestone for the success of the mission to study every phase of cosmic history.
“All five layers of sun visor are fully tightened,” said a broadcaster at the observatory’s control center in Baltimore, which in a live broadcast showed team members cheering.
The 70-foot-long (21-meter) kite-shaped apparatus acts like a shield, ensuring Webb’s instruments are kept in the shade so they can detect faint infrared signals from the far reaches of the universe. Each layer is removed individually for two days, providing about one million SPF (sun protection factor).
Challenging Tasks
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Since the telescope was too large to fit into the nose cone of the rocket in its operational configuration, it had to be transported origami-style. Installing it is a complex and challenging task, as well as the riskiest NASA has ever undertaken.
“This is the first time anyone has attempted to put a telescope of this size into space,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, in a statement.
“The successful application of its most challenging, solar shield is a remarkable testament to the human ingenuity and engineering skills that will enable Webb to achieve his scientific goals,” he said.
“It was an incredible moment. There was a lot of joy, a lot of relief,” said sunscreen installation specialist for Northrop Grumman, Hillary Stock.
The most powerful space telescope ever built and the successor to Hubble was launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana on December 25, and is now more than half way to its orbital point, 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.
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Webb’s infrared technology allowed him to see the first stars and galaxies that formed 13.5 billion years ago, giving astronomers new insights into the universe’s earliest ages.
Editor : Marcellus Widiarto
Writer : AFP, Selocahyo Basoeki Utomo S
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