Space Station Mobility Trainer

The Space Station Mobility Trainer (SSMT) is a

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

simulator A simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. Simulations require the use of models; the model represents the key characteristics or behaviors of the selected system or process, whereas the s ...

used to train astronauts who will be staying in space stations.

Astronauts An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

in a space station orbiting a planet experience

weightlessness Weightlessness is the complete or near-complete absence of the sensation of weight. It is also termed zero gravity, zero G-force, or zero-G. Weight is a measurement of the force on an object at rest in a relatively strong gravitational fie ...

, and therefore, have no physical

sensation Sensation (psychology) refers to the processing of the senses by the sensory system. Sensation or sensations may also refer to: In arts and entertainment In literature * Sensation (fiction), a fiction writing mode * Sensation novel, a Britis ...

of up and down. They do however need to know where objects should be placed and how they should be oriented while

building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and fu ...

and

maintaining ''Maintaining'' is a 2007-2009 comic strip by cartoonist Nate Creekmore. Creekmore is a two-time winner of the Scripps College Cartoonist of the Year and an Associated Press award for achievement in college cartooning. Creekmore's strip first a ...

the space station. The Space Station Mobility Trainer rotates the trainee on a single axis in a small loop. Grip tape as used on

skateboards A skateboard is a type of sports equipment used for skateboarding. They are usually made of a specially designed 7-8 ply maple plywood deck and polyurethane wheels attached to the underside by a pair of skateboarding trucks. The skateboarder ...

or stairwells is placed strategically throughout the loop to prevent slipping. The trainee is strapped into a chair mounted on a rotating axis (

vertical Vertical is a geometric term of location which may refer to: * Vertical direction, the direction aligned with the direction of the force of gravity, up or down * Vertical (angles), a pair of angles opposite each other, formed by two intersecting s ...

) The astronauts "run" in this continuous loop and are flipped over repeatedly. Then the trainee stops suddenly, and must figure out where everything is. Trainees on this particular simulator usually will become disoriented. International Space Station