NASA Tests 1 Million SPF Sunshield For James Webb Telescope
- 10 years ago
NASA has recently tested the sunshield that will protect the James Webb Space Telescope from extreme light and heat in space. The sun shield is the largest part of the observatory, and will serve as protection so the infrared instruments aren’t blasted by intense sun rays.
NASA has recently tested the sunshield that will protect the James Webb Space Telescope from extreme light and heat in space.
The sunshield is the largest part of the observatory, and will serve as protection so the infrared instruments aren’t blasted by intense sunrays.
The sun protection factor, or SPF of the sunshield is calculated to be one million. As comparison, if you are headed to the beach, you might use sunscreen with just 15 to 75 SPF.
Temperatures on the sunny side of the shield are expected to get up to around 185 degrees Fahrenheit, while the temperature on the protected side will be negative 388 degrees Fahrenheit.
It has five layers of Kapton, a NASA grade reflective foil protection that was developed by Northrop Grumman and each layer unfolds to be about the size of a tennis court and is separated by a few inches.
Around 12 hundred people worldwide are involved in the development and building of the telescope.
The sunshield test was held at Northrop Grumman’s Redondo Beach, California campus where NASA scientists are working with the company to build the telescope that will be a hundred times more powerful than the Hubble Telescope.
The James Webb Space Telescope is a collaborative project between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency.
It is scheduled to launch in the year 2018 from South America.
NASA has recently tested the sunshield that will protect the James Webb Space Telescope from extreme light and heat in space.
The sunshield is the largest part of the observatory, and will serve as protection so the infrared instruments aren’t blasted by intense sunrays.
The sun protection factor, or SPF of the sunshield is calculated to be one million. As comparison, if you are headed to the beach, you might use sunscreen with just 15 to 75 SPF.
Temperatures on the sunny side of the shield are expected to get up to around 185 degrees Fahrenheit, while the temperature on the protected side will be negative 388 degrees Fahrenheit.
It has five layers of Kapton, a NASA grade reflective foil protection that was developed by Northrop Grumman and each layer unfolds to be about the size of a tennis court and is separated by a few inches.
Around 12 hundred people worldwide are involved in the development and building of the telescope.
The sunshield test was held at Northrop Grumman’s Redondo Beach, California campus where NASA scientists are working with the company to build the telescope that will be a hundred times more powerful than the Hubble Telescope.
The James Webb Space Telescope is a collaborative project between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency.
It is scheduled to launch in the year 2018 from South America.