Friday, October 2, 2015

Part 6: Equipment Testing Equipment Testing Laboratory

NASA/JWST Clean Room

Testing the NASA James Webb Space Telescope

I walked into the test building where they were testing the James Webb Space Telescope. I was not allowed in the lab nor was I allowed to take pictures. This telescope will take the place of the Hubble Telescope.

Take a look at what they are doing in real time.

http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/

James Webb Space Telescope.

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NASA Space Simulator


A NASA Engineer demonstrating how to take drag out of an electric line. This makes electric supply more economical, saving electric to the appliances. This works in space as well as on Earth.   


This is a centrifuge that test people as well as equipment. 

I talked to one of the engineers in charge of these testing procedures. He calls the testing, "Shake and Bake" They heat the space craft as high as 1,500 degrees and freeze it as low as -250 Degrees. At the same time, they shake the equipment and vibrate it, trying to shake it a part.  


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Private companies are starting to take control of a task such as resupplying the space station as well as many other duties.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_private_spaceflight_companies

List of private spaceflight companies


An engineer in charge of  "Shake and Bake" told me some stories about private or investor lead corporations that launched ships but refuse to use these services. They ended up with disasters. 


After that, Virgin Galactic decided to use NASA's Launch Services. They found that it only took a bolt that was 1/8 of an inch to long that caused the problems.  

 http://www.virgingalactic.com/satellite-launch/

At Virgin Galactic, they leverage their work, building their human spaceflight program. They specialize their team’s extensive background in low-cost launch systems to create "LauncherOne," an orbital launch vehicle dedicated to the small satellite market. 

Already, our world-class team of 150 experienced professionals are hard at work in our 150,000 square foot manufacturing and design facility, helping make this system a reality. With real hardware built and real results achieved, they are well on their way towards a vehicle that will meet their customers’ needs for launch reliability, availability and flexibility, at a commercial price they can afford.

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