WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th January, 2022) NASA technicians have successfully fully deployed the massive sunshield protecting the James Webb Space Telescope, the US space agency announced in a press release.
"The James Webb Space Telescope team has fully deployed the spacecraft's 70-foot sunshield, a key milestone in preparing it for science operations," the release said on Tuesday.
The sunshield, which NASA described as being about the size of a full size tennis court, was folded to fit in the payload area of an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket's nose cone launched from French Guiana on Christmas Day. The Webb team technicians began to remotely deploy the sunshield on December 28, 2021, the release said.
"Two pallet structures - forward and aft - unfolded to bring the observatory to its full 70-foot length. The Deployable Tower Assembly deployed to separate the telescope and instruments from the sunshield and the main body of the spacecraft, allowing room for the sunshield to fully deploy," the release said.
Then, the sunshield's rear momentum flap and membrane covers were deployed as were the mid-booms, expanding vertically to the pallet structures and allowing the sunshield to extend to its full width of 47 feet, the release said.
Then at 11:59 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday, the sunshield was fully tensioned and put in position, the release added.
