Creative mural of the James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: NASA
Today, at 3:48 pm EST, the Webb team finished tensioning the first layer of the observatorys sunshield– that is, tightening it into its last, totally tight position. This is the first of 5 layers that will each be tightened up in turn over the next 2 to 3 days, until the observatorys sunshield is completely released. The procedure began around 10 am EST
. This layer is the biggest of the 5, and the one that will experience the force of the heat from the Sun. The tennis-court-sized sunshield assists keep the telescope cold adequate to identify the infrared light it was developed to observe.
The group has actually now begun tensioning the second layer.
By NASA
January 3, 2022