Some pretty big critical steps have been completed with very good results. Very good sign. Starting to ease my worry just a little bit....
Second and Third Layers of Sunshield Fully Tightened
The Webb team has completed tensioning for the first three layers of the observatory’s kite-shaped sunshield, 47 feet across and 70 feet long.
The first layer – pulled fully taut into its final configuration – was completed mid-afternoon.
The team began the second layer at 4:09 pm EST today, and the process took 74 minutes. The third layer began at 5:48 pm EST, and the process took 71 minutes. In all, the tensioning process from the first steps this morning until the third layer achieved tension took just over five and a half hours.
These three layers are the ones closest to the Sun. Tensioning of the final two layers is planned for tomorrow.