Neutral Buoyancy Simulator

Introduction

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Located in Building 4750 at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator was designed by the Army in 1955. It has responsibility to provide a simulated zero-gravity environment where engineers and astronauts could perform their work. The Neutral Buoyancy Simulator is a facility that is unique within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) inventory of training facilities.

Images

Neutral Buoyancy Simulator Photo courtesy of NASA

Interior of simulator during test Photo courtesy of NASA

Neutral Buoyancy Simulator Tank Look From Outside

Backstory and Context

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According to National Park Service, having capability to support research and testing of operational technique and materials needed to successfully perform space-manned missions, the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator contributed significantly to the American manned space program_(1).

"Projects Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and the Space Shuttle have all benefited from the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator"_{(1). "}Until the mid-1970s, when an additional facility was constructed at the Johnson Space Flight Center to support the Space Shuttle Program, this facility was the only test facility that allowed astronauts to become familiar with the dynamics of body motion under weightless conditions"_(1).

In 1985, The Neutral Buoyancy Simulator was declared a National Historic Landmark _(1).

Sources

(1) United States. National Park Service. "Neutral Buoyancy Space Simulator -- Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2015. "Neutral Buoyancy Simulator." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2015.