{"id":13810,"date":"2018-05-09T00:33:01","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T16:33:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/jwst-beset-by-another-problem-as-northrop-grumman-revamps-training\/"},"modified":"2018-05-09T00:33:01","modified_gmt":"2018-05-08T16:33:01","slug":"jwst-beset-by-another-problem-as-northrop-grumman-revamps-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/jwst-beset-by-another-problem-as-northrop-grumman-revamps-training\/","title":{"rendered":"JWST beset by another problem as Northrop Grumman revamps training"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
The telescope element of the Webb observatory was unpacked from its shipping container March 8 after arriving at Northrop Grumman\u2019s factory in Redondo Beach, California. Credit: NASA\/Chris Gunn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Engineers working on the James Webb Space Telescope, which had its launch delayed to 2020 earlier this year, recently discovered another problem during testing at the observatory\u2019s prime contractor Northrop Grumman in Southern California.<\/p>\n

Teams at Northrop Grumman inspecting JWST\u2019s spacecraft element after an acoustic test found fastening hardware had come loose, according to a NASA statement issued Friday. The spacecraft module, which will be mated to the observatory\u2019s telescope section before launch, includes propulsion and power systems, plus a five-layer sunshield to keep the observatory\u2019s telescope in shadow while in space.<\/p>\n

NASA said in a statement Friday that the loose hardware discovered after the acoustic test was designed to fasten the sunshield\u2019s membrane covers in place during launch.<\/p>\n

\u201cNASA is reviewing options for repair and the next steps in spacecraft element launch environment testing,\u201d said Greg Robinson, Webb\u2019s program director. \u201cThe team is reviewing the test data and hardware configuration and is actively working towards corrective action in the near future. We expect to get back to the environmental test flow shortly and continue to move safely and methodically toward mission success.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement, Robinson stressed the importance of ground testing to catch such problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an example of why space systems are thoroughly and rigorously tested on the ground to uncover imperfections and fix them prior to launch,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n

First reported by Space News, the discovery of the loose fasteners comes after NASA decided in late March to delay JWST\u2019s launch from no earlier than March 2019 until around May 2020, and a prior schedule slip announced last year that pushed back the launch from October 2018 to 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not terrible news, but it\u2019s not good news, either,\u201d Robinson said last week in a meeting of the National Academies\u2019 Space Studies Board, according to Space News.<\/p>\n

Robinson said the fastening hardware included \u201cwashers and screws.\u201d<\/p>\n

When NASA announced the latest JWST launch delay March 27, officials described multiple concerns with the observatory\u2019s spacecraft element, which was built by Northrop Grumman and is now undergoing environmental testing to ensure it can withstand the rigors of spaceflight.<\/p>\n

Before the acoustic test, engineers put the spacecraft through a mechanical shock test to simulate the loads it will encounter when the observatory separates from its Ariane 5 launcher. The acoustic test subjected the spacecraft to the intense sound of a launch, while the vibration test \u2014 up next in the spacecraft test campaign \u2014 will simulate the shaking of a rocket ride.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore time is needed to test and integrate the highly complex sunshield and spacecraft section at Northrop Grumman,\u201d said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA\u2019s science mission directorate, in a briefing with reporters March 27. \u201cThat is taking longer to complete, and there are also a few mistakes that happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

The flagship mission will be the most ambitious astronomical observatory ever launched, building on a quarter-century of discoveries made by NASA\u2019s famous Hubble Space Telescope. Originally proposed more than 20 years ago, the James Webb Space Telescope has been redesigned to expand its observing power and overcome numerous technical hurdles, ballooning costs from an original projection below $1 billion to more than $10 billion, a figure that includes planned launch and operations expenses, along with European and Canadian contributions.<\/p>\n

The new observatory will be stationed nearly a million miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth, using a 21.3-foot (6.5-meter) mirror and four science instruments hidden behind a thermal sunshield to peer into the distant universe, studying the turbulent aftermath of the Big Bang, the formation of galaxies and the environments of planets around other stars.<\/p>\n

Named for the NASA administrator who led the agency in the 1960s, the James Webb Space Telescope has already cost NASA $7.3 billion.<\/p>\n

With the launch delay to 2020, the cost to develop the mission could rise above an $8 billion limit set by lawmakers to cover Webb\u2019s development. If that happens, the mission must be reviewed and reauthorized by Congress.<\/p>\n

The rest of the funding covers launch costs borne by the European Space Agency for Webb\u2019s ride into space on an Ariane 5 rocket, plus operating expenses after launch.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The James Webb Space Telescope\u2019s spacecraft element pictured during acoustic testing. Credit: NASA\/Chris Gunn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NASA officials identified several problems attributed to mistakes by the Northrop Grumman team: a damaged transducer that was incorrectly powered during testing, requiring replacement, valves in the spacecraft\u2019s propulsion system that had to be replaced after they were improperly cleaned, and a catalyst bed heater that was overstressed at the wrong voltage.<\/p>\n

Engineers also found tears in the sunshield membranes during a deployment test to check how the thermal barrier will unfold to the size of a tennis court once in space, and it took longer than expected to deploy, fold and stow the sunshield.<\/p>\n

Workers at Northrop Grumman will connect Webb\u2019s spacecraft and telescope elements for combined testing before shipping the observatory to its launch base in French Guiana. JWST will launch with its sunshield, solar panels, antenna and telescope mirrors folded up for launch, then will go through a weeks-long process to deploy the parts on the way to its observing station at the L2 Lagrange point nearly a million miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth.<\/p>\n

The telescope has completed its standalone testing at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. It was delivered to Northrop Grumman\u2019s Redondo Beach facility earlier this year.<\/p>\n

NASA said in March it would install more oversight over JWST in the future, including direct interaction with Northrop Grumman\u2019s president and chief operating officer. NASA also planned to dispatch a project manager to Northrop Grumman\u2019s factory in Southern California on a permanent basis, along with additional NASA spacecraft integration and test experts during critical operations.<\/p>\n

NASA also added daily and weekly schedule reviews with Northrop Grumman, which will also revamp its management structure. Northrop Grumman is also making personnel changes and updating procedures, officials said in March.<\/p>\n

Some of the mistakes described in March were caused by poorly written procedures, NASA officials said.<\/p>\n

Kathy Warden, Northrop Grumman\u2019s president chief operating officer, said in an April 25 conference call with investment analysts that JWST is a \u201cfirst-of-a-kind\u201d mission and marks a \u201chuge technological leap\u201d in spacecraft development.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen people are doing things for the first time ever, there is learning that happens,\u201d Warden said. \u201cSo we are ensuring that all of the training that we\u2019re giving our people continues to be a focus, so that we can give them the best chance of success.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoing something for the first time does come with inherent risks, and we and NASA are partnering to identify that and successfully mitigate it, so that we can get this successfully launched and able to fulfill this space exploration mission that we all want to see be successful,\u201d Warden said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe good news is now we have all the flight hardware,\u201d she said. \u201cThe new launch date does reflect additional time for integrating and testing the telescope and the spacecraft, and it\u2019s important for us that mission assurance is the top priority.\u201d<\/p>\n

An independent review board chaired by Thomas Young, a space industry veteran who served as an executive at Lockheed Martin and as mission director of NASA\u2019s Viking Mars landers, will complete a report examining JWST\u2019s technical, schedule and budget issues around the end of May.<\/p>\n

The review will help NASA confirm a new launch date, now expected around May 2020, and a new cost estimate for the mission.<\/p>\n

Email the author.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The telescope element of the Webb observatory was unpacked from its shipping container March 8 after arriving at Northrop Grumman\u2019s factory in Redondo Beach, California. Credit: NASA\/Chris Gunn Engineers working on the James Webb Space Telescope, which had its launch delayed to 2020 earlier this year, recently discovered another problem during testing at the observatory\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1540,498,1690,880,831,1560,190,554],"class_list":["post-13810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-ariane-5","tag-arianespace","tag-astrophysics","tag-canadian-space-agency","tag-european-space-agency","tag-james-webb-space-telescope","tag-nasa","tag-northrop-grumman"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13810"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13810\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}