Space Power Facility
The Space Power Facility (SPF) is a vacuum chamber built by NASA in 1969. It stands 122 feet high and 100 feet in diameter, enclosing a bullet-shaped space. It is the world's largest thermal vacuum chamber. It was originally commissioned for nuclear-electric power studies under vacuum conditions, but was later decommissioned. Recently, it was recommissioned for use in testing spacecraft propulsion systems. Recent uses include testing the airbag landing systems for the Mars Pathfinder and the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, under simulated Mars atmospheric conditions.
The SPF is located at Plum Brook Station, near Sandusky, Ohio. Plum Brook Station is part of the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
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The interior of the Space Power Facility.
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The Centaur Standard Shroud at the Space Power Facility.
[edit] External links
- Skylab Shroud in Plum Brook Space Power Facility
- NASA image gallery, featuring the SPF
- Detailed facility capabilities
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