The \u201cvisor\u201d for NASA\u2019s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope recently completed several environmental tests simulating the conditions it will experience during launch and in space. Called the Deployable Aperture Cover, this large sunshade is designed to keep unwanted light out of the telescope. This milestone marks the halfway point for the cover\u2019s final sprint of testing, bringing it one step closer to integration with Roman\u2019s other subsystems this fall.<\/p>\n
Designed and built at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, the Deployable Aperture Cover consists of two layers of reinforced thermal blankets, distinguishing it from previous hard aperture covers, like those on NASA\u2019s Hubble<\/a>. The sunshade will remain folded during launch and deploy after Roman is in space via three booms that spring upward when triggered electronically.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWith a soft deployable like the Deployable Aperture Cover, it\u2019s very difficult to model and precisely predict what it\u2019s going to do \u2014 you just have to test it,\u201d said Matthew Neuman, a Deployable Aperture Cover mechanical engineer at Goddard. \u201cPassing this testing now really proves that this system works.\u201d<\/p>\n During its first major environmental test, the sunshade endured conditions simulating what it will experience in space. It was sealed inside NASA Goddard\u2019s Space Environment Simulator<\/a> \u2014 a massive chamber that can achieve extremely low pressure and a wide range of temperatures. Technicians placed the DAC near six heaters \u2014 a Sun simulator \u2014 and thermal simulators representing Roman\u2019s Outer Barrel Assembly<\/a> and Solar Array Sun Shield<\/a>. Since these two components will eventually form a subsystem with the Deployable Aperture Cover, replicating their temperatures allows engineers to understand how heat will actually flow when Roman is in space.\u00a0<\/p>\n When in space, the sunshade is expected to operate at minus 67 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 55 degrees Celsius. However, recent testing cooled the cover to minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 70 degrees Celsius \u2014 ensuring that it will work even in unexpectedly cold conditions. Once chilled, technicians triggered its deployment, carefully monitoring through cameras and sensors onboard. Over the span of about a minute, the sunshade successfully deployed, proving its resilience in extreme space conditions.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was probably the environmental test we were most nervous about,\u201d said Brian Simpson, project design lead for the Deployable Aperture Cover at NASA Goddard. \u201cIf there\u2019s any reason that the Deployable Aperture Cover would stall or not completely deploy, it would be because the material became frozen stiff or stuck to itself.\u201d<\/p>\n If the sunshade were to stall or partially deploy, it would obscure Roman\u2019s view, severely limiting the mission\u2019s science capabilities.<\/p>\n After passing thermal vacuum testing, the sunshade underwent acoustic testing to simulate the launch\u2019s intense noises, which can cause vibrations at higher frequencies than the shaking of the launch itself. During this test, the sunshade remained stowed, hanging inside one of Goddard\u2019s acoustic chambers \u2014 a large room outfitted with two gigantic horns and hanging microphones to monitor sound levels.\u00a0<\/p>\n With the sunshade plastered in sensors, the acoustic test ramped up in noise level, eventually subjecting the cover to one full minute at 138 decibels \u2014 louder than a jet plane\u2019s takeoff at close range! Technicians attentively monitored the sunshade\u2019s response to the powerful acoustics and gathered valuable data, concluding that the test succeeded.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the better part of a year, we\u2019ve been building the flight assembly,\u201d Simpson said. \u201cWe\u2019re finally getting to the exciting part where we get to test it. We\u2019re confident that we\u2019ll get through with no problem, but after each test we can\u2019t help but breathe a collective sigh of relief!\u201d<\/p>\n Next, the Deployable Aperture Cover will undergo its two final phases of testing. These assessments will measure the sunshade\u2019s natural frequency and response to the launch\u2019s vibrations. Then, the Deployable Aperture Cover will integrate with the Outer Barrel Assembly<\/a> and Solar Array Sun Shield<\/a> this fall.<\/p>\n For more information about the Roman Space Telescope, visit NASA\u2019s website<\/a>. To virtually tour an interactive version of the telescope, visit:<\/p>\n https:\/\/roman.gsfc.nasa.gov\/interactive<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is managed at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, with participation by NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech\/IPAC in Southern California, the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, and a science team comprising scientists from various research institutions. The primary industrial partners are BAE Systems, Inc in Boulder, Colorado; L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York; and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging in Thousand Oaks, California.<\/p>\n Download high-resolution video and images from NASA\u2019s Scientific Visualization Studio<\/a><\/p>\n By Laine Havens<\/em><\/strong> Media contact:<\/em><\/strong>![\"Roman's](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/dac-240722-001.jpg?w=2048\")
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NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, Greenbelt, Md.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
Claire Andreoli<\/em><\/strong>
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/a>
<\/a><\/em><\/strong>NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, Greenbelt, Md.<\/em><\/strong>
301-286-1940<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nExplore More<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n
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