Technicians Lay NASA’s Webb Sunshield Layers Flat for Inspection

Technicians and engineers manually lower Webb’s folded sunshield layers for easier access and inspection. After being lowered, engineers thoroughly inspect all five layers of the reflective silver-colored sunshield for any issues that may have occurred as a result of acoustic testing in June, 2018. Acoustic testing exposes the spacecraft to similar forces and stress experienced during liftoff, allowing engineers to better prepare it for the rigors of spaceflight.