Industry Related News: United States – August 2022:
While many have seen the recent images courtesy of the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA is reflecting on everything that led up to this moment – including the unforeseen hurdles. When testing the telescope, one major problem was immediately encountered. The telescope itself was simply too big to undergo thermal testing, as the thermal vacuum chamber would need to measure both sides of the craft. While building an additional (and much larger) vacuum chamber was possible, scientists concluded that the best approach would be to split the craft apart. This created two halves that could be tested separately, allowing for more thorough examination.
This thermal testing process is incredibly important to the development of all spacecrafts, as the process determines if the craft can withstand the environment of space. If not, the craft could potentially fail once it leaves orbit.
Once thermal testing began, the craft was monitored through thermal sensors as well as camera systems. This equipment was specifically designed to track the temperature of the craft, allowing NASA to observe how the temperature changes impacted the telescope. The camera served to track how elements of the craft moved or altered throughout the process, namely during the cooldown period. Luckily, the craft passed the testing without any major issues.
“Webb structures, components, electronics, instruments, and systems would be studied, evaluated and validated by, eventually, thousands of scientists, engineers, and technicians who in aggregate would build, test, and integrate Webb. In total, 258 companies, agencies, and universities participated — 142 from the United States, 104 from 12 European nations, and 12 from Canada.”1
NASA was grateful for their extensive testing process, as the telescope faced many difficult situations. Hurricane Harvey, low levels of liquid-nitrogen (vital for the thermal testing process), and much more made the road to testing and subsequent launch a difficult one. Despite this, the craft was successfully launched and has performed beyond expectations. Thanks to rigorous testing, including it’s time in a thermal vacuum chamber, the Webb telescope has started sending stunning photos that continue to excite scientists and the general public alike.
1Nasa.gov, “Stress Tests: Making a Hardy Webb“, Accessed 8 August 2022.
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Khoury Industries is a worldwide leader in temperature testing equipment for device characterization, thermal cycling equipment, and failure analysis. Khoury Industries designs and manufactures custom thermal testing chambers and microwave thermal testing fixtures used in a variety of industries including: military, space, automotive, medical, research, and communication fields. The Khoury Box and the patented ELI-1000 have quickly become industry favorites as thermal testing devices used to ensure the reliability of industrial and electronic products through prolonged exposure to extreme conditions.
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