{"id":22986,"date":"2020-12-22T17:01:50","date_gmt":"2020-12-22T09:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/sunshield-for-nasas-james-webb-space-telescope-successfully-unfolds-in-final-test\/"},"modified":"2020-12-22T17:01:50","modified_gmt":"2020-12-22T09:01:50","slug":"sunshield-for-nasas-james-webb-space-telescope-successfully-unfolds-in-final-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/sunshield-for-nasas-james-webb-space-telescope-successfully-unfolds-in-final-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunshield for NASA\u2019s James Webb Space Telescope successfully unfolds in final test"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NASA\u2019s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a sizeable next-generation space telescope set to be launched sometime in 2021. As the launch window approaches, the telescope has gone through a series of tests to ensure its space readiness. The most recent of those tests involved unfolding the telescope\u2019s sunshield.<\/p>\n

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The JWST\u2019s five-layer sunshield was tested last week by expanding it to its full size, about the size of a tennis court. After fully expanding, engineers also performed tensioning tests to confirm that the expanded shield could retain tension.<\/p>\n

Alphonso Stewart, JWST development systems lead, called the successful test \u201cone of Webb\u2019s biggest accomplishments in 2020.\u201d Being able to unfold the shield in a slow and controlled fashion was a much more difficult accomplishment than it may appear to be. During the test, engineers activated 139 actuators, eight motors, and thousands of other components just to cause the shield to unfold safely.<\/p>\n

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