Two­Ton Hockey Pucks

 

Superman isn’t the only one who

can move a car with his pinkie.

Astronauts can, too. Well, there

aren’t any cars in space. But, the

crew can move heavy things with no

problems. That’s because there isn’t

any friction in

microgravity

. Large

things take off with just a push.

This can be a problem. It is easy to

make things move. And, they can

be hard to stop! Nobody wants

heavy things floating wherever they

want to go! Astronauts have to

learn how to keep things where they

want them

in space. They practice on Earth.

 

That’s where it gets hard. There isn’t one machine that can copy

microgravity. So, NASA uses a lot of

simulators

. Each one is like a part of

microgravity. The KC­135 airplane lets astronauts

free fall

through the air.

The Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory puts astronauts underwater. It makes the

crew feel like they are floating in space. Virtual reality helps them see

things like they would in space. Drop towers makes things weightless for a

few seconds. Where do astronauts go to practice moving big things? They

go to Johnson Space Center in Houston.

 

At Johnson, astronauts work

on a special floor. Think of

working on a giant air hockey

table. It is easy for astronauts

to push big things around.

Things move just like an air

hockey puck floats across a

game table. To see how it

works, pretend you are

playing air hockey. The

hockey puck would float on a

thin pillow of air. The air is

 

 

 

          

 

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blown from the top of the table. On the air­bearing floor, the air comes out

of what is being tested. This makes a layer of air that floats just off the

floor. The floor must be very smooth and flat for this to work.

 

The floor is made up of steel plates. They are lined up side by side. More

plates are put on the bottom of the things the astronauts are moving. Air is

packed into a tube that runs on the side and bottom of the plate. This makes

the plates

hover

just above the floor’s surface. All the astronauts have to do

is give them a nudge. The giant things move as easily as a marble across the

floor.

 

What do astronauts do on this floor? They

learn to move things as large as a small car.

They learn to keep the objects moving in the

direction they want. They also practice using

tools like they would in space. Gravity keeps

us in place. Astronauts have to learn to work

without it. That is because just a twist of a

screwdriver can send you spinning if you are

in space. So, astronauts fasten themselves to

something.

NASA also uses the floor to test things that

will go into space. This lets them see how things will work in space.

 

Some people call this a zero­gravity room. But that is not what it is. There

is a lot of gravity in the room. This floor can copy what happens when

gravity is cut. It is amazing to see someone move something as heavy as a

car with just a pinkie.

 

Published by NASAexplores: November 13, 2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

          

 

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