Controllers on Tuesday completed the deployment of the space observatory's giant kite-shaped sun shield. Only with this tennis court-sized barrier will Webb have the sensitivity to detect the ...

"The sun shield is like a skydiver's parachute," says ... "We can't really predict its shape, but we can constrain it. We can try to prevent it from going in places that we don't want it to ...

NASA's pioneering Parker Solar Probe made history Tuesday, flying closer to the sun than any other spacecraft, with its heat shield exposed to scorching temperatures topping 1,700 degrees ...

“This bold mission of exploration is bringing us closer than ever to unlocking the sun’s deepest mysteries.” The Parker probe features a 4.5-inch-thick heat shield. The probe’s navigation ...