The vault-like, 40ft diameter, 40 tonne door of Chamber A at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston was unsealed on 18th November, signaling the end of cryogenic testing for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.
The Webb telescope will be the premier space observatory of the next decade, and will study galaxy, star and planet formation in the universe. The historic chamber’s massive door opening brings to a close about 100 days of testing for Webb, a significant milestone in the telescope’s journey to the launch pad.
The cryogenic vacuum test began when the chamber was sealed shut on 10th July. Inside the chamber, the telescope was cooled with liquid nitrogen (N2) and cold gaseous helium (He). Scientists and engineers at Johnson put Webb’s optical telescope and integrated science instrument module (OTIS) through a series of tests designed to ensure the telescope functioned as expected in an extremely cold, airless environment akin to that of space.
... to continue reading you must be subscribed
