Blogs

Crew Dragon proficiency checks were on the schedule for a pair of NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. Eye checks, space biology research, and spacewalk preparations also kept the Expedition 66 crew busy throughout the day. The SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour, which delivered four astronauts to the orbiting lab, has been docked …

At approximately 11:59 am EST, the fifth and final layer of Webb's sunshield was fully tensioned, marking the completion of sunshield deployment. Read more about this key milestone in preparing Webb for science operations.

With three layers of Webb's sunshield fully deployed, the team commenced tensioning – that is, pulling each layer fully taut – of the final two layers this morning. We will have live coverage of the fifth layer tensioning at nasa.gov/live beginning at about 9:30 am EST.

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. …

Today, at 3:48 pm EST, the Webb team finished tensioning the first layer of the observatory's sunshield– that is, tightening it into its final, completely taut position. This is the first of five layers that will each be tightened in turn over the next two to three days, until the observatory's sunshield is fully deployed. …

Payloads: BioMole: BioMole Surface Sampling and DNA Extraction was performed. The Environmental Health System (EHS) Biomole Facility non-culture based samples are capable of providing microbial identification on-orbit within days of sampling.  The goal of this Tech Demo is to conduct comparative analysis for possible replacement of current microbial monitoring systems. Cytoskeleton: The Med Reservoirs were …

The Webb mission operations team began the first steps in the process of tensioning the first layer of Webb's sunshield this morning around 10 a.m. EST. It will take the team two to three days to tension the five-layer sunshield. The plan for today is to focus on the first layer, the largest and the …

The five astronauts and two cosmonauts of Expedition 66 started the first work week of 2022 researching microgravity science, reviewing Crew Dragon emergency procedures and ramping up for a spacewalk. Biology and botany are critical research subjects on the orbiting lab as NASA and its international partners plan human missions to the Moon, Mars and …

Taking advantage of its flexible commissioning schedule, the Webb team has decided to focus today on optimizing Webb's power systems while learning more about how the observatory behaves in space. As a result, the Webb mission operations team has moved the beginning of sunshield tensioning activities to no earlier than tomorrow, Monday, Jan. 3. This will ensure Webb is in prime condition to begin the next major deployment step in its unfolding process. …

Work on the deployment of Webb's sunshield mid-booms went late into the night yesterday. Webb mission management decided this morning to pause deployment activities for today and allow the team to rest and prepare to begin Webb's sunshield tensioning tomorrow, Sunday, Jan. 2. That deployment is still expected to take place over at least two …