File:Testing with Radio Waves (50274316898).jpg

Stepping inside NASA's Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) laboratory at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland feels like stepping inside a Lady Gaga music video. Inside this white room where conical structures jut out from the walls, a team of engineers clad in "bunny suits" or white clean suits successfully completed one of the key environmental tests for the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM), the science payload of the James Webb Space Telescope, in 2015.

The ISIM can be considered the eyes and ears of Webb telescope, and the purpose of the test was to verify that these eyes and ears will be compatible with the electromagnetic environment on the spacecraft.

Once inside the clean room, the team set up antennae for different tests. Their first task was to measure the electromagnetic emissions from the ISIM in order to assess the likelihood of interference to the rest of the spacecraft. They also illuminated the ISIM with electromagnetic waves in order to assess the likelihood of interference from the rest of the spacecraft.

These tests must be performed in an anechoic (Latin for “no echo”) chamber. The conical structures jutting out from the walls absorb the electromagnetic energy in order to minimize reflections. As much as a sound booth works to minimize the reflection of sound waves, the anechoic material minimizes reflections of electromagnetic waves so that they don't bounce back and combine with the original waves, which would disturb the integrity of the test.

More: go.nasa.gov/34wo5aF

Text Credit: Laura Betz Image Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn

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