Images of the ISIM
Caption: This photo shows the James Webb Space Telescope's "IEC" all wrapped up in a thermal blanket, and looking like a holiday package at a cleanroom in NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
The Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) Electronics Compartment or "IEC" houses all of the electronics responsible for control, data handling, and telemetry for the Webb telescope's scientific instruments.
The ISIM is one-of-a-kind living framework that provides electrical power, computing resources, cooling capability as well as extreme structural stability to the Webb telescope. It is a state-of-the-art bonded graphite-epoxy composite attached to the backside of Webb's telescope structure.
The ISIM will contain the four science instruments that will record images and spectra of astronomical objects whose light will be collected by the giant optics of Webb's telescope element.
The electronics boxes that control each instrument will be mounted in the gift-wrapped IEC and protected from the harsh conditions of space during the mission.
Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn
