The Spacecraft Propulsion Research Facility, now known as the In-Space Propulsion Facility, is (according to
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
), the "world’s only facility capable of testing full-scale upper-stage launch vehicles and rocket engines under simulated high-altitude conditions." The facility, located at NASA's
Plum Brook Station
NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field is a NASA center within the cities of Brook Park and Cleveland between Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and the Rocky River Reservation of Cleveland Metroparks, with a subsidiary facilit ...
of the
Glenn Research Center
NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field is a NASA center within the cities of Brook Park and Cleveland between Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and the Rocky River Reservation of Cleveland Metroparks, with a subsidiary facilit ...
near
Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Erie County, Ohio, Erie County, Ohio, United States. Situated along the shores of Lake Erie in the northern part of the state, Sandusky is located roughly midway between Toledo, Ohio, Toledo ( wes ...
, was built in 1968. Its first major use was for testing stages of the
Centaur Rocket
The Centaur is a family of rocket propelled upper stages produced by U.S. launch service provider United Launch Alliance, with one main active version and one version under development. The diameter Common Centaur/Centaur III flies as the upp ...
, which was used to launch some of America's most important space probes.
National Historic Landmark listing
The facility was designated a National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1985.
Description and history
NASA's Plum Brook Station
NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field is a NASA center within the cities of Brook Park and Cleveland between Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and the Rocky River Reservation of Cleveland Metroparks, with a subsidiary facilit ...
is located off Taylor Road, between Bloomingville and Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film Ins ...
, south of Sandusky, Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. This remote site was established by NASA to facilitate large-scale testing of dangerous equipment. The In-Space Propulsion Facility, designed to perform full-scale test-firing of large rockets, is one of several facilities at the station. It consists of a building housing its main test chamber, a test equipment building, and fueling and exhaust facilities associated with the firing of rockets within the test chamber. The main chamber is a steel cylinder designed to house test subjects up to in diameter and in height. A door high provides access for bringing equipment into the chamber, which is equipped with several viewports through which remote viewing apparatus can observe the test. The chamber has a cooling wall capable of being maintained at , cooled by liquid nitrogen. Infrared lamps simulate radiation environments found in space, and the chamber is capable of being having its pressure reduced to the equivalent of of altitude.Atlas V
Atlas V is an expendable launch system and the fifth major version in the Atlas (rocket family), Atlas launch vehicle family. It was originally designed by Lockheed Martin, now being operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture be ...
first stages) needed to be capable of firing at high altitude to launch their payloads out of Earth orbit. More than ten tests of Centaur rockets here enabled the later successful launches in the Pioneer
Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land.
In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and dev ...
, Voyager, and Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
programs.
See also
*
*List of National Historic Landmarks in Ohio
This is a List of National Historic Landmarks in Ohio and other landmarks of equivalent landmark status in the state. The United States' National Historic Landmark (NHL) program is operated under the auspices of the National Park Service, and reco ...
*Zero Gravity Research Facility
The Zero Gravity Research Facility at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio is a unique facility designed to perform tests in a reduced gravity environment. It has successfully supported research for the United States crewed spacecraft ...
, also at Plum Brook Station
References
External links
National Historic Landmark listing
*
In-Space Propulsion Facility
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National Register of Historic Places in Erie County, Ohio
National Historic Landmarks in Ohio
Government buildings completed in 1968
Buildings and structures in Erie County, Ohio
Glenn Research Center