Photo courtesy ofNASA . come home to enlarge .
The environment outside Earth ’s ambiance is unforgiving — homo could lastmaybe 3 minutesin the vacuum of place before expiring . ( Luckily , they ’d only be conscious for about 15 sec of that . ) But space is n’t just rugged for humans ; it ’s also middling rough on the equipment astronauts employ there , so everything hold for blank must be smartly tested . Vacuum Chamber 5 ( VF-5 ) , locate at NASA ’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland , is one plaza where electric actuation systems are put to the test .
Though there are many vacuum chambers at Glenn Research Center ( includingthe world ’s large ) , VF-5 does the best Book of Job of re - make a space environment thanks to " the highest pumping speed of any electric actuation test facility in the world,“according to NASA .
The facility is equip with cryogenic panel , site at the top and back of the chamber , which stop a helium - cooled panel that can reach a parky -440 degrees Fahrenheit ( rank zero is-459.67 degree Fahrenheit ) . As NASA explains , " The extreme frigidity of this jury freezes any strain leave in the chamber and quickly freezes the pusher fumes , allowing the chamber to maintain a high void environment . The outer chevrons are chill with smooth nitrogen to shield the cryogenic jury from the way temperature surfaces of the army tank . " It ’s in these conditions that NASA then test electric actuation and business leader systems crucial to space missionary station , such as hall thrusters .
NASA
The top-notch - cold conditions also help seize the atomic number 54 propellent used in the testing , which freezes to frappe . NASA collects and reuses the pricey propellant .
VF-5 is presently being used to testSolar Electric Propulsion technology , which will help take future spaceman to Mars and beyond .
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