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JWST Testing On Horizon
Cleveland - Apr 13, 2004 Glenn engineers are gearing up the Space Power Facility (SPF) at Plum Brook to meet a challenging schedule of testing for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). It is a new kind of space telescope with a very large, infrared-optimized, primary mirror that will capture more light and resolve more distant objects than any other space-based telescope designed thus far. Building on the success of Hubble, JWST is the first of the next generation of space telescopes designed to further our understanding of how the universe developed following the Big Bang. Understanding this process, through the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets, is a critical step in understanding the abundance of life on Earth and possibly elsewhere. The telescope will be constructed using advanced, extremely lightweight mirrors that can be folded up to fit into the nose cone of a rocket. Once on orbit, the mirror will unfold with the help of computer-controlled actuators designed to work in extremely cold space temperatures (~30 to 100 Kelvin). JWST will have an 18-segment, 6.5-meter primary mirror that can adjust in shape to obtain sharp, high-quality images. The telescope will maintain an orbit at the Earth-Sun Lagrange point (L2), approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. Being the world's largest space environment simulation chamber, Glenn's SPF will provide the right size and environment to integrate, test, and align the space-based observatory. "The sheer size of our facility provides flexibility in the design of a test, and its extraordinary vibrational stability is crucial for enabling critical optical measurements for a structure of this size," said Richard Kunath, chief, Plum Brook Management Office. "A number of upgrades were also made over the past year to ensure a safe environment for testing JWST, including the replacement of 16 oil diffusion pumps (vacuum pumps that are used to achieve the high vacuum level in SPF) with 10 cryogenic pumps. These pumps provide the same function as the oil diffusion pumps, but without the use of silicon oil. The modification was made to ensure that there was no risk of contaminating the cryogenic optics of the telescope with silicon oil and damaging them." Subsequent meetings with the JWST project office at Goddard Space Flight Center and the prime contractor Northrup-Grumman have revealed additional pretesting issues, such as cleaning and decontaminating the SPF vacuum chamber for the ultralow contamination levels that are needed to successfully accomplish this first-of-its-kind testing. Frances Borato, Robert Puzak, Robin Brown, and Mark Woodling from the Engineering and Technical Services Directorate make up the small group of engineers who will identify the SPF upgrades needed to initiate testing; however, the Glenn JWST test team is still being formed. "This project requires some very specialized expertise. We are in the process of putting together a Glenn JWST testing team to develop the designs and cost estimates of the clean rooms required for testing, as well as the modification of our cryogenic shrouds, which we will operate using helium in order to achieve the 37 K testing temperatures required," explained Jerry Carek, SPF manager. "Some of the things we need to do include installation of very large clean rooms�Class 10,000 to 100,000�and the design and construction of the world's largest helium- cooled shroud system. Specialized thermal systems must be used to get down to �410 �F to simulate the extreme cold conditions of space. Once we upgrade the SPF we will have created the Nation's largest cryogenic optics testing facility," he added. Northrup-Grumman and Kodak have already done some initial design work on the JWST observatory test stand and the issues surrounding how to integrate the cryoshrouds into the design, as well as how to decontaminate the structure, are being investigated. Most of the facility buildup will take place between 2005 and 2006, with test hardware and test support equipment all arriving in 2006. Actual testing will begin in 2008 and continue through 2010. Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express
8.4-Meter Mirror Successfully Installed in Large Binocular Telescope
Tucson - Apr 13, 2004The University of Arizona today announced that the first 8.4-meter (27-foot) primary mirror for the world's most powerful telescope, the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), has successfully been installed in the telescope structure at Arizona's Mount Graham International Observatory (MGIO).
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