engineering

Space Environment Simulation Laboratory

Space Environment Simulation Laboratory is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Space Environment Simulation Laboratory rather than just read about it. In short: The Space Environment Simulation Laboratory (SESL) is a facility in Building 32 at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center that can perform large-scale simulations of the vacuum and thermal environments that would be encountered in space.

Key takeaways

Space Environment Simulation Laboratory belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Space Environment Simulation Laboratory to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Space Environment Simulation Laboratory from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Space Environment Simulation Laboratory (SESL) is a facility in Building 32 at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center that can perform large-scale simulations of the vacuum and thermal environments that would be encountered in space. Built in 1965, it was initially used to test Apollo Program spacecraft and equipment in a space environment, and continues to be used by NASA for testing equipment. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985.

Description The Space Environment Simulation Laboratory is a large industrial test facility on the Johnson Space Center grounds in Building 32. Its principal features are two test chambers, one larger and one smaller. Both are cylindrical chambers that have the ability to provide a near vacuum, and have configurable lighting systems for simulating sunlight from a variety of angles.

Chamber A Chamber A is the larger of the two chambers. It has a diameter of 45 feet (14 m), with a circular floor that can be rotated 180°. Test subject equipment can be maneuvered using four overhead cranes, each with a carrying capacity of 50,000 pounds. Equipment can be lifted into and out of the chamber using 100,000 pound cranes located outside the chamber. In addition to solar lighting arrays, the facility is capable of generating thermal plasma fields of a type experienced in the outer atmosphere and low Earth orbit. There are two man-sized airlocks, one at ground level, and one at 31 feet (9.4 m). These chambers are used for staging safety personnel during testing involving humans, and can be separately used for small-scale altitude tests involving low air pressures. NASA remodeled and upgraded the chamber to test the James Webb Space Telescope. As of 2013, it is the largest high-vacuum, cryogenic-optical test chamber in the world, 55 feet (17 m) in diameter by 90 feet (27 m) tall. It is equipped with a gaseous helium shroud capable of lowering temperatures to 11 K (−439.9 °F; −262.1 °C). Additional test support equipment includes mass spectrometers, infrared cameras and television cameras were installed to monitor testing.

Chamber B Chamber B is smaller, with a diameter of 20 feet (6.1 m), and is served by two 100,000 pound cranes. Like Chamber A, it has two airlocks; one of them is configured to a water deluge system and other elements needed to simulate oxygen-rich environments encountered on spacecraft. Its solar lighting array is also simpler than that of Chamber A, necessating the use of mirrors to achieve certain lighting angles. The smaller size of the chamber makes it possible to more efficiently perform tests on smaller objects with a more rapid turnaround time.

Gallery

See also List of National Historic Landmarks in Texas National Register of Historic Places listings in Harris County, Texas

References

External links

Space Environment Simulation Lab at NASA CRGIS Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. TX-109-B, "NASA Johnson Space Center, Building No. 32, Space Environment Simulation Laboratory, Chambers A & B, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Harris County, TX", 28 photos, 7 measured drawings, 46 data pages, 4 photo caption pages

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Space Environment Simulation Laboratory

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Space Environment Simulation Laboratory claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Space Environment Simulation Laboratory before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Space Environment Simulation Laboratory ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Space Environment Simulation Laboratory

In research: Space Environment Simulation Laboratory appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Space Environment Simulation Laboratory in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Space Environment Simulation Laboratory is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1965 establishments in Texas, Apollo program facilities, Buildings and structures completed in 1965, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Space Environment Simulation Laboratory outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Space Environment Simulation Laboratory in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Space Environment Simulation Laboratory means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Space Environment Simulation Laboratory out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Space Environment Simulation Laboratory in simple terms?

Why does Space Environment Simulation Laboratory matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Space Environment Simulation Laboratory?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Space Environment Simulation Laboratory.