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NASA\u2019s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team recently blasted the observatory with extreme sound, shook it, and listened to its electronic hum. Roman passed all three assessments, which aimed to confirm that the observatory will withstand launch conditions and function as expected in space. The achievement keeps the mission on track for launch as early as this fall.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of the testing went smoothly and progress is well ahead of schedule,\u201d said Jack Marshall, the Roman observatory integration and testing lead at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. \u201cThe team has done a great job putting the observatory together, and the tests show that everything is lining up with expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n
In January, the team set up an absorbent panel around the observatory for an electromagnetic interference test. This special configuration is designed to block external radio signals and absorb reflections inside the test facility.<\/p>\n
Engineers powered on all of Roman\u2019s electronics and measured the signals they generated, closely monitoring for any errors. Too much electrical noise could interfere with the observatory\u2019s ability to detect faint infrared signals, but Roman passed with flying colors.<\/p>\n
The team moved on to vibration testing in February. \u201cEach time the observatory traveled between test facilities, it was placed in a custom-made portable clean room to protect it from contamination that could otherwise compromise scientific performance once in space,\u201d said Joel Proebstle, a mechanical systems engineer who led the vibration and acoustic tests at NASA Goddard.<\/p>\n
Engineers tested the observatory on a large shaker table to simulate the vibrations it will experience during launch, gradually building to higher frequencies. \u201cTry to imagine sitting on that rocket and feeling all those vibrations,\u201d said Cory Powell, the Roman structural analyst lead at NASA Goddard. \u201cWe simulated the shaking that the launch vehicle will produce to ensure the components and connections will all remain intact.\u201d<\/p>\n
In early March, the team conducted an acoustic test. The test took place in a state-of-the-art sound booth, where engineers ramped up the volume to 138 decibels \u2014 about as loud as a jet engine from 100 feet away.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019ve ever been at a concert with an extremely loud bass, that load you felt was acoustic energy,\u201d Powell said. \u201cNow think about how loud a launch is. The acoustics can produce very high loads on a large structure like Roman.\u201d<\/p>\n \n