SpaceRef - Astrobiology and Life Science - Gravitational Biology

SpaceRef - Astrobiology and Life Science - Gravitational Biology - Centrifuges

29 May 2006

Centrifuge Accommodation Module, Boeing (now cancelled) - Unique among ISS modules, this one will permit long-term study of the effects of varying gravity levels on the structure and function of generations of living organisms and test methods for countering the negative results of those variations. The Module will house the Centrifuge Facility, a more than 8-ft. diameter centrifuge drum or rotor, and a Gravitational Biology Facility, with racks for holding plants, animals and habitats.

20-G Centrifuge at NASA ARC - The 20-G Centrifuge is 58 feet in diameter and can be used to evaluate flight hardware as well as to test the effects of hypergravity on humans, other animals and plants. [Center for Gravitational Biology Research, NASA Ames Research Center]

Surviving 7G, WIred - I'm strapped into a modified fighter jet seat, my head encased in a blue helmet bolted to the top of the chair. The chair is inside a windowless box at one end of a 58-foot platform at the human centrifuge facility in Building N-221A of the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California.

Feeling the Burn, Astrobiology Magazine - This month scientists are conducting a pilot study at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., on the 20-G centrifuge, a machine that creates artificial gravity forces by spinning and that can simulate up to 20 times the normal forces of gravity we experience on Earth.

Note: the following centrifuges are no longer operational. NASA links have been removed:

24-Foot Diameter Centrifuge at NASA ARC - The 24-Foot Diameter Centrifuge is designed to create hypergravitational conditions for small animal research. [Center for Gravitational Biology Research, NASA Ames Research Center]

30-Foot Linear Sled at NASA ARC - This sled uses a state-of-the-art air bearing system for linear acceleration with a carriage identical to that of the 12-Foot Linear Sled. A gimbaled chair is mounted on the platform to accommodate human subjects, or a specimen test container can be mounted to accommodate nonhuman subjects. The maximum possible displacement of the subject is approximately 23 feet. [Center for Gravitational Biology Research, NASA Ames Research Center]

7.9-Foot Diameter Multi-Axis Centrifuge at NASA ARC - The centrifuge has seven axes of motion - a main spin axis, two outer high performance spin axes, two inner high performance spin axes, and two inner positioning axes. The centrifuge was designed to provide specimens with accelerations from rotations about two axes simultaneously--the main spin axis and one other high performance axis. [Center for Gravitational Biology Research, NASA Ames Research Center]

8-Foot Diameter Centrifuge at NASA ARC - The 8-Foot Diameter Centrifuge was designed for rodent studies but can be modified to accommodate other specimens and can produce gravitational forces up to 10g. [Center for Gravitational Biology Research, NASA Ames Research Center]

8-Foot Programmable Linear Sled (PLS) at NASA ARC - The PLS incorporates new linear motor technology to allow smooth control of linear motion delivery to the subjects. It can deliver programmed linear motion along either an Earth-horizontal or Earth-vertical axis. The maximum displacement of the test subject is approximately 20 inches. [Center for Gravitational Biology Research, NASA Ames Research Center]

Human-Carrying Rotation Device (HCRD) at NASA ARC - The HCRD is a single arm centrifuge with a 10-foot radius. The HCRD is composed of a platform placed on an oil-immersed axis and one attachable cab. [Center for Gravitational Biology Research, NASA Ames Research Center]

Human-Powered Centrifuge (HPC) at NASA ARC - The HPC was developed to provide exercise and gravitational forces simultaneously using only human effort. The HPC is mounted Earth-horizontal, is fitted with two recumbent rider seats, and can carry one or two on-board subjects placed in a seated supine position. [Center for Gravitational Biology Research, NASA Ames Research Center]

Hypergravity Facility for Cell Culture (HyFaCC) at NASA ARC - HyFaCC is a single arm centrifuge with a nine foot radius and one CO2 incubator. The HyFaCC was designed to provide an opportunity to study the effects of short- and long-duration hypergravity exposure on cultured cells. [Center for Gravitational Biology Research, NASA Ames Research Center]

Vestibular Research Facility (VRF) at NASA ARC - The VRF provides unique, state-of-the-art equipment for ground-based studies of vestibular function, including a centrifuge, an 8-foot programmable linear sled (PLS), a 12-foot linear spring sled, a 30-foot linear sled, and support laboratories and office areas. [Center for Gravitational Biology Research, NASA Ames Research Center]