Integrated Environmental Testing

Rocket boosters and spacecraft experience intense acoustic environments during launch inducing high vibration levels in structural elements. These vibrations can lead to various dangerous problems for the rocket or the craft it carries. Ground testing has proven vital in developing successful programs by simulating launch conditions before all goes wrong up in space - where they cannot be easily fixed on Earth.

Simulate environments that include thermal, thermal-vacuum, vacuum, and partial gravity, among many others, to better understand what would work well in the harsh conditions found on Earth or even far off worlds like Mars. Test capabilities are available for both hardware testing and human research needs, so we have collected unique knowledge about how our bodies react when faced with specific challenges such as microgravity.

An Arc Tunnel is a 13 Megawatt heated tunnel with high altitude, hypersonic wind capabilities. Simulate the aerothermal heating environment that spacecraft experience when they reenter Earth's atmosphere. Certify systems for space flight by screening designs prone to heat shielding degradation due to air friction during atmospheric entry at speeds greater than 12 kilometers per second (5 miles/second) or water impact at terminal velocity from orbit altitudes of 110 km (~35000 feet).

The Electromagnetic Interference/Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMI/EMC) Control Test and Measurement Facility is a well-equipped environment permitting engineering development, certification testing of the crew, flight, and ground support equipment. Communication systems are just one of many examples tested in the facility, including instrumentation like biomedical devices or robotics used on space missions to ensure EMI does not interfere with their function.