Image: Journey to space in a vacuum chamber
Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - 07:00
in Astronomy & Space
When you need to test hardware designed to operate in the vast reaches of space, you start in a vacuum chamber. NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland has many of them, but Vacuum Chamber 5 (VF-5) is special. Supporting the testing of electric propulsion and power systems, VF-5 has the highest pumping speed of any electric propulsion test facility in the world, which is important in maintaining a continuous space-like environment.