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Revision as of 00:09, 8 December 2010
The Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) is an astronaut training facility maintained by and located at the Sonny Carter Training Facility on NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.[1] The NBL consists of a large indoor pool of water, the largest in the world,[citation needed] in which astronauts may perform simulated EVA tasks in preparation for upcoming missions. The NBL contains full-sized mock-ups of the Space Shuttle cargo bay, flight payloads, and the International Space Station (ISS).[2]
The principle of neutral buoyancy is used to simulate the weightless environment of space.[1] Suited astronauts are weighted in the water by support divers so that they experience no buoyant force and no rotational moment about their center of mass.[1] The suits worn in the NBL are down-rated from fully flight-rated EMU suits like those in use on the space shuttle and International Space Station.
The NBL tank itself is 202 ft. (61 m) in length, 102 ft. (31 m) wide, and 40 ft. 6 in. (12 m) deep, and contains 6.2 million gallons (23.5 million litres) of water.[2][3] Divers breathe nitrox while working in the tank.[4][5]
One downside of using neutral buoyancy to simulate microgravity is the significant amount of drag presented by water.[6] Generally, drag effects are minimized by doing tasks slowly in the water. Another downside of neutral buoyancy simulation is that astronauts are not weightless within their suits, thus, precise suit sizing is critical.
Alternative microgravity simulators
The other primary method used by NASA to simulate microgravity is the so-called "Vomit Comet", an aircraft which performs a number of parabolic climbs and descents to give its occupants the sensation of zero gravity.[7] The vomit comet reduces the problem of drag in weightless simulation. The main shortcoming of this method is its time limitations - periods of weightlessness are limited to around 25 seconds, interspersed with periods of acceleration of around 2 g as the aircraft pulls out of its dive and readies for the next run.[8] This is obviously not suitable for practicing EVAs, which usually last several hours.
Non-NASA, non-US-government neutral buoyancy facilities
The Neutral Buoyancy Research Facility at the University of Maryland's Space Systems Laboratory performs research into EVA techniques and robotic interaction using neutral buoyancy as a basis for weightless simulation.[9]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Strauss S (2008). "Space medicine at the NASA-JSC, neutral buoyancy laboratory". Aviat Space Environ Med. 79 (7): 732–3. PMID 18619137.
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ignored (help) - ^ a b Strauss S, Krog RL, Feiveson AH (2005). "Extravehicular mobility unit training and astronaut injuries". Aviat Space Environ Med. 76 (5): 469–74. PMID 15892545. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
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ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "NBL Characteristics". About the NBL. NASA. June 23, 2005.
- ^ Fitzpatrick DT, Conkin J (2003). "Improved pulmonary function in working divers breathing nitrox at shallow depths". Undersea Hyperb Med abstract. 30 (Supplement). Retrieved 2008-08-27.
- ^ Fitzpatrick DT, Conkin J (2003). "Improved pulmonary function in working divers breathing nitrox at shallow depths". Aviat Space Environ Med. 74 (7): 763–7. PMID 12862332. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
{{cite journal}}
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ignored (help) - ^ Pendergast D, Mollendorf J, Zamparo P, Termin A, Bushnell D, Paschke D (2005). "The influence of drag on human locomotion in water". Undersea Hyperb Med. 32 (1): 45–57. PMID 15796314. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Rafiq A, Hummel R, Lavrentyev V, Derry W, Williams D, Merrell RC (2006). "Microgravity effects on fine motor skills: tying surgical knots during parabolic flight". Aviat Space Environ Med. 77 (8): 852–6. PMID 16909881. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
{{cite journal}}
: Unknown parameter|month=
ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Pletser V (2004). "Short duration microgravity experiments in physical and life sciences during parabolic flights: the first 30 ESA campaigns". Acta Astronaut. 55 (10): 829–54. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2004.04.006. PMID 15806734.
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ignored (help) - ^ University of Maryland. "Space Systems Lab: Neutral Buoyancy Research Facility". Retrieved 2008-08-27.