Sign in
Science & Technology
iow_20131015 - Gaia
Image of the Week |
Gaia Sunshield Deployment test |
 |
|
Ahead of its launch on 20 November 2013, Gaia has passed its critical sunshield deployment test. During the test at Europe's spaceport in Kourou the shield's twelve carbon fibre folding frames were opened successfully in the cleanroom. As the Deployable Sunshield Assembly (DSA) was not designed to support its own weight in the one-g environment at Earth's surface, support cables and counterweights attached to the shield provided a realistic test environment. In space the 10.5 metre diameter sunshield will shade the spacecraft's telescope from the sun. It will also help to provide a stable and low temperature environment. Image: ESA [Published: 15/10/2013 ] |
Sanitized for DXP 7.3
- Removed a total of (3) style text-align:center;
- Removed a total of (2) style text-align:justify;
- Removed a total of (1) border attribute.
- Removed a total of (1) cellpadding attribute.
- Removed a total of (1) cellspacing attribute.
Image of the Week Archive
Sanitized for DXP 7.3
- Removed a total of (1) border attribute.
- Removed a total of (1) cellpadding attribute.
- Removed a total of (1) cellspacing attribute.