For Release: June 26, 1995

Steve Roy
Office of Media Services
(205) 544-0034
steve.roy@msfc.nasa.gov

RELEASE: 95-43

MARSHALL CENTER NEUTRAL BUOYANCY SIMULATOR HOSTS INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION TESTING THIS WEEK

Engineers and technicians in space suits and International Space Station mockups will fill the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., this week as test and evaluation teams work to develop flight hardware for the Space Station.

Underwater test activities will evaluate a variety of Station tasks and procedures, including equipment assembly, handling of experiment and equipment racks, use of mobility aids, use of foot restraints and hand holds and maintenance procedures for a thermal control system. Testing inside the modules will simulate the "shirtsleeve" environment planned for daily operations aboard the Space Station.

Many of the same engineers and technicians who are designing and building the Space Station will use the weightless conditions of Marshall Center's neutral buoyancy facility to evaluate and improve equipment and tool design for development of actual flight hardware. The Boeing Defense & Space Group is the prime contractor for the design, development and construction of the Space Station.

The 1.5-million-gallon neutral buoyancy facility is used to simulate the near-weightless environment of space and facilitate testing for the development of hardware, tools and operational procedures to be used during actual extravehicular activities or spacewalks.

The Space Station series of tests at the neutral buoyancy facility will continue through the next three weeks.

Note to editors: Media representatives interested in visiting the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator during the week may contact Steve Roy at (205)544-6535. Former Skylab astronaut Jerry Carr will join the test and evaluation team conducting a simulated spacewalk on Tuesday, June 27 at 10:00 a.m. B-roll of test activities and interviews with Boeing test personnel and Marshall Center Neutral Buoyancy Simulator staff will be available on request.