NASA Tests The 'Outer Framework' Of The Space Telescope Nancy Grace Roman

The outer framework of the Roman Telescope is being tested (photo: dock. NASA)

JAKARTA NASA has installed the main component of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, namely Outer Barrel Assembly. This component is an outside framework to protect the telescope from illegal light.

Once installed, the technicians moved parts of the Outer Barrel Assembly to a large round test room. During the tests, the telescope rotated up to 18.4 rounds per minute to simulate centrifugal forces.

Jay Parker, Head of Product Design for Assembly at the Goddard Space Flight Center, said that they divided the Outer Barrel Assembly testing process into two parts. This is done because the size of the components is not sufficient in one room.

"We can't test the entire Outer Barrel Assembly at the centrifuge in one part because it's too big to fit in the room," Parker said. "The details are a bit like a house on stilts, so we test 'home' and'stage' separately."

The Outer Barrel Assembly structure, which surrounds the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, is about 5 meters high and about 4 meters wide. With this size, technicians tested the'stage' first, then the 'home' section.

Although the outer framework of the Roman Telescope has been tested, this observatory is still far from complete. NASA must carry out thermal vacuum testing on all components next year to ensure its components are temperature-resistant and pressure in space.

In addition, all of these components also need to conduct a shock test to ensure the structure is resistant to vibrations during launch. At the end of next year, all of these components will begin to be integrated into the telescope body.