A Move That Proves Air Casters Are Out of This World

When NASA needed a way to move the James Webb Space Telescope and its massive component parts through the assembly and testing process, they needed a material handling system that would minimize risk of damage or contamination, or risk million-dollar added costs and scheduling delays. Moreover, they needed a system that could function inside cleanrooms. So, before launching the telescope into orbit, they first got it off the ground – literally. By using air casters to float the telescope and its parts on a nearly frictionless film of air, NASA’s people could smoothly, easily, and safely move the structures entirely by hand.