The Zero Gravity Research Facility is NASA Glenn’s premier place for ground based microgravity research and the largest facility of its kind in the world. Originally designed and built during the space race era of the 1960s, the Zero-G facility studies the effects of microgravity on physical phenomena such as combustion and fluid physics, develops and demonstrates new technology for future space missions and tests experiment hardware designed for flight aboard the Space Shuttle or International Space Station.
One of the ways NASA conducts microgravity experiments is by using drops towers. Allowing experiment hardware to free-fall a distance of 432 feet creates the microgravity environment at the Zero-G facility.
The free fall is conducted inside of a long steel vacuum chamber. The chamber is 20 ft. in diameter and resides inside of a 28.5 ft. diameter concrete lined shaft, which extends 510 feet below ground.
Image Credit: NASA
Michelle M. Murphy (Wyle Information Systems, LLC)