The Low Pressure Test Bed (LPTB) is a recently developed hypobaric (low atmospheric pressure) chamber that has some unique capabilities not found in normal hypobaric chambers. The LPTB chamber not only controls atmospheric pressure but also temperature, relative humidity, and air speed. The chamber is also designed for inserts that give the capability of maintaining and measuring low level Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). The chamber itself can accommodate different gas mixtures to simulate different atmospheres. The chamber is located in the Controlled Environment Laboratory (CEL) at Kennedy Space Center’s Space Life Sciences Laboratory (SLSL). The laboratory maintains a centralized Command, Monitoring and Data System (CMDS) for logging and storing data collected from experiments or tests done in the LPTB. It is used to support projects related to NASA ESMD, SMD, CEV, and SOMA needs, as well as external industrial and academic users. This chamber is ideally suited for testing of sensors and equipment at reduced pressures.

The Light Testbed is a fully functional photometric test lab capable of meeting all your light measurement needs.  Photometric lab capabilities include total photopic luminous flux, total scotopic luminous flux, Color Rendering Index (CRI), Correlated Color Temperature (CCT), radiant efficiency, luminous efficacy, and color coordinates in Tristimulus, CIE1931, CIE 1960, and CIE1976 color spaces.  Plant responses capabilites include determining total Photosynthetic Active Radiation (PAR), Photosynthetic Photon Flux (PPF), and Phytochrome Photostationary state.  Intensity distribution profiles are also determined using our two-axis goniometer.  LED specific characterization includes dominate wavelength, purity, and full width half max (FWHM), as well as full intensity distribution using our LED goniometer.

 

The Flight Experiment Development Laboratory helps scientists develop their experiments into Space Shuttle and/or International Space Station payloads. Its primary areas of responsibility are payload mission management and payload engineering. Payload mission management responsibilities include planning, integration, and operation of the payload, including safety analysis, astronaut training, and in-flight mission monitoring. Payload engineering responsibilities include the design, fabrication, testing, certification, and sustaining engineering of the payload flight hardware.  The laboratory has three primary facility resources: the Experiments Monitoring Area (EMA), the Orbiter Environmental Simulator (OES), and the bonded storage area. The EMA provides real-time communications support for flight experiments; the OES mimics spaceflight temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide environment; and the bonded storage area is available both pre- and postflight. The Flight Experiment Development Laboratory has successfully developed and integrated more than 40 flight experiments