Technicians have successfully installed two sunshields onto NASA\u2019s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope\u2019s inner segment. Along with the observatory\u2019s Solar Array Sun Shield and Deployable Aperture Cover, the panels (together called the Lower Instrument Sun Shade), will play a critical role in keeping Roman\u2019s instruments cool and stable as the mission explores the infrared universe.<\/p>\n
The team is on track to join Roman\u2019s outer and inner assemblies this fall to complete the full observatory, which can then undergo further prelaunch testing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis shield is like an extremely strong sunblock for Roman\u2019s sensitive instruments, protecting them from heat and light from the Sun that would otherwise overwhelm our ability to detect faint signals from space,\u201d said Matthew Stephens, an aerospace engineer at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.<\/p>\n
The sunshade<\/a>, which was designed and engineered at NASA Goddard, is essentially an extension of Roman\u2019s solar panels, except without solar cells. Each sunshade flap is roughly the size of a garage door \u2014 about 7 by 7 feet (2.1 by 2.1 meters) \u2014 and 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) thick.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re basically giant aluminum sandwiches, with metal sheets as thin as a credit card on the top and bottom and the central portion made up of a honeycomb structure,\u201d said Conrad Mason, an aerospace engineer at NASA Goddard.<\/p>\n This design makes the panels lightweight yet stiff, and the material helps limit heat transfer from the side facing the Sun to the back\u2014no small feat considering the front will be hot enough to boil water (up to 216 degrees Fahrenheit, or 102 degrees Celsius) while the back will be much colder than Antarctica\u2019s harshest winter (minus 211 Fahrenheit, or minus 135 Celsius). A specialized polymer film blanket will wrap around each panel to temper the heat, with 17 layers on the Sun side and one on the shaded side.<\/p>\n The sunshade will be stowed and gently deploy around an hour after launch.<\/p>\n \u201cThe deploying mechanisms have dampers that work like soft-close hinges for drawers or cabinets, so the panels won\u2019t slam open and rattle the observatory,\u201d Stephens said. \u201cThey each take about two minutes to move into their final positions. This is the very first system that Roman will deploy in space after the spacecraft separates from the launch vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n Now completely assembled, Roman\u2019s inner segment is slated to undergo a 70-day thermal vacuum test next. Engineers and scientists will test the full functionality of the spacecraft, telescope, and instruments under simulated space conditions. Following the test, the sunshade will be temporarily removed while the team joins Roman\u2019s outer and inner assemblies, and then reattached to complete the observatory. The mission remains on track for launch no later than May 2027 with the team aiming for as early as fall 2026.<\/p>\n