Contrary to popular belief, NASA does not have "anti-gravity chambers" where people can float around like astronauts on the space station. But we do use several facilities to simulate the weightless, or microgravity, conditions of orbit.
Zero Gravity Research FacilityVisitors peer down into the 510-foot drop tower. Credit: NASA One of them, NASA Glenn's Zero Gravity Research Facility, is the largest of its kind in the United States. It is NASA's premier facility for conducting ground-based microgravity research, and on August 1 you can drop in for a visit.
The Zero Gravity Research Facility was built during the Space Race Era of the 1960s to support research and development of space flight components and fluid systems in a weightless environment. It is a large shaft measuring 510-feet deep that is evacuated to eliminate air resistance. Also called a "drop tower," the shaft allows scientific experiments to free fall for approximately five seconds. As the experiments fall, they are virtually weightless.
Today, researchers from all over the world come to the Glenn facility to study the effects of microgravity on physical phenomena such as combustion and fluid physics. NASA also uses it to develop and test experimental hardware designed to fly aboard the space shuttle and the International Space Station.
Call (216) 433-9653 to make your reservation up to one month in advance.
One-hour tours begin in the Visitor Center Auditorium at the following times:
* Advanced registration guarantees admission. Call (216) 433-9653 to register. * Access to the NASA Glenn Visitor Center is limited to U.S. citizens. All adult visitors are required to present government-issued photo identification. * NASA reserves the right to limit the use of cameras and cell phones.
Explore the Drop Zone NASA Glenn Research Center August 01, 2009
