UK microgravity facilities

The UK has various facilities which are available to support both life and physical sciences research in space.Although many of the major microgravity research facilities are located outside the United Kingdom see International research facilities, there are a number of sites within the UK that maintain specialist equipment, laboratories and personnel. In most cases access to these facilities can be negotiated with the operators. The list below shows some of the UK microgravity facilities and gives information regarding their use and availability.

• Hypobaric Chamber facility
• Dynamic Impact Test Sled facility
• Synchotron Radiation Source
• Electric Propulsion Laboratory
• 3.8 m diameter Large European Electric Propulsion (LEEP1) vacuum test facility
• 2.2 m diameter Large European Electric Propulsion (LEEP2) vacuum test facility
• Ultrasonic levitation and filtration of microparticles, droplets and cells suspended in liquids

Hypobaric Chamber facility

Contact: Chas Taylor, A50 Building, Centre for Human Sciences, QinetiQ Ltd, Cody Technology Park, Ively Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 0LX, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1252 392600. e-mail: cgtaylor@QinetiQ.com

Facilities description: The Centre for Human Sciences hypobaric chamber facility is a modern purpose built complex comprising:
- A hypobaric chamber capable of achieving a simulated altitude of 100,000 feet with initial rate of climb of 40,000 feet per minute. The complex includes a vacuum reservoir enabling rapid decompressions of the chamber to take place. The chamber is used for conducting experimental work involving human subjects in addition to evaluating the performance of aircraft oxygen supply systems and associated equipments.
- A hyperbaric chamber capable of achieving a pressure equivalent to 50 metres of seawater. The purpose of this chamber is to enable compression therapy to be carried out should an incident occur in the hypobaric chamber.

Hypobaric chamber
Size: 5.7m x 3.7m x 2.4m high.
No. of compartments: 3.
Accommodation: Maximum of 8 people.
Altitude simulation range: 0 to 100,000 ft.
Rapid decompression profiles: Rapid decompressions with a pressure change of 70 kPa in
0.1 second are attainable, which equates to a decompression
from 8,000 ft to 65,000 ft.
Data logging: 48 channels.

Hyperbaric chamber
Size: 3.5m x 2.4m x 2.0m high.
No of compartments: 2.
Accommodation: Maximum of 4 people.
Recompression capability: Maximum pressure differential is equivalent to a depth of
50m sea water.
Main use: Standby facility for use in the event of a hypobaric chamber
emergency arising.

Mode of operation: The facility operates continuously with minimal down time.

Access: The facility is owned by QinetiQ Ltd. Current rules of access to the facility are compatible with granting access by way of Announcements of Opportunity at European level.

Dynamic Impact Test Sled Facility

Contact: Les Neil, A51 Building-Centre for Human Sciences, QinetiQ Ltd, Cody Technology Park, Ively road, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 OLX, UK. e-mail: lpneil@qinetiq.com

Facilities description: The centre for Human Sciences Impact Facility is a modern purpose built facility containing three laboratories. These are the deceleration track, the anthropomorphic test device calibration laboratory and the helmet test laboratory. The deceleration track is 51 M in length, 7 M wide with 3.8 M useable height. The impact area has access for large load delivery and a hoist capable of lifting weights of up to 100kg. The 595Kg test sled plus payload of up to 400kg is propelled to a maximum of 19 m/s by bungee elastic and is decelerated by cables, tensioned by a pneumatic/hydraulic system, to a maximum of 50g.

Mode of operation: The facility operates continuously with minimal down time for maintenance and staff leave. Customers can expect an immediate response to requirements depending on level of engineering required to support the test programme.

Access: Owned by QinetiQ Ltd. Current rules of access to the facility are compatible with granting access by way of announcements of Opportunity at European level. Depending on the volume of ongoing UK MOD work, the facility is capable of offering up to 60% of resources to visiting scientists.

Synchotron Radiation Source

Contact: User Liason Officer, CLRC Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington, Cheshire, UK. WA4 4AD. Tel: General Enquires on +44 (0)1925 603000 or e-mail: srs-ulo@dl.ac.uk

Facilities description: Synchotron radiation has important uses in many areas of both the life and physical sciences, the short wavelength of the radiatation, makes synchotron light a powerful tool in the analysis of a materials structure and properties. It can just as easily be used to analyse the structure and formation of proteins and other biological molecules as it can to analyse the crystal stucture of metals and other non-organic materials.See Synchotron Radiation Source at Daresbury for more information.

Mode of operation and Access: From 1 April 2003, the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC) will be responsible for the peer review and scheduling of proposals requesting access to the ISIS, SRS and CLF large scale facilities. These facilities will become “free at the point of access” to the UK academic research community. The CCLRC will be developing the QQR recommendation of a common facility access scheme for the ISIS, SRS and CLF facilities including arrangements for access procedures and the peer review of applications for time on the facilities.

For Allocation Period 40 (April 2003 – September 2003) transitional arrangements have been set up including peer review panels for biological and physical (including environmental) sciences. Major grant holders, including those sponsored by the Wellcome Trust, EPSRC, NERC, BBSRC and MRC will have earmarked status. EU applicants should apply in the usual way using the specific EU form.

For more information see Access to the Synchotron facilities

Electric Propulsion laboratory (Prototyping, vacuum and environmental test facility)

Contact: Mr. R.J. Blott, Space Department, A8 Building, QinetiQ, Farnborough, Hampshire, UK, GU14 OLX, UK. e-mail: rjblott@qinetiq.com Tel: +44 (0) 1252 395698.

Facility description: A dedicated facility, available for the development, prototyping, manufacture, testing and qualification of electric propulsion (EP) thrusters, EP systems, hollow cathodes and gas flow control systems. An extensive suite of facilities are housed within an ISO 8 (18m x 20m x 6m) room. The facility is completed by exceptional, and in many cases world class EP test facilities and diagnostics, designed and operated by skilled experienced members of the QinetiQ EP team.

Mode of operation: The mode of operation is significantly different depending on which facilities are required. For details contact Mr R. Blott

Access: The facility is owned and operated by QinetiQ Ltd. Access to the facility is on an unrestricted first come first served basis and is fully compatible with Announcements of Opportunity at European level. 100% of the facility resources can be made available to visiting scientists.

3.8 m diameter Large European Electric Propulsion (LEEP1) vacuum test facility.

Contact: Mr. R.J. Blott, Space Department, A8 Building, QinetiQ, Farnborough, Hampshire, UK, GU14 OLX, UK. e-mail: rjblott@qinetiq.com Tel: +44 (0) 1252 395698.

Facility description: The facility contains a large vacuum chamber available for the testing of electric propulsion (EP) thrusters and EP systems. The facility is designed for the testing, characterisation and qualification of both Hall effect and gridded ion thrusters with propellant mass flowrates ranging from 0.005 to 60 mg/s and powers up to 10kW. The available diagnostics allow the characterisation of thruster performance, plasma conditions, spacecraft interactions and material erosion, produced as a result of thruster operation.

Mode of operation: A typical test campaign would involve the intergration of the thruster/flow control unit (FCU) in the chamber load lock. This can be performed by either QinetiQ or customer staff. If required this work could be perfomed in ISO 6 clean room conditions. Thruster outgassing can be performed in the load lock without occupying the main chamber, which can be evacuated and prepared for thruster operation prior to integration of the load lock. Transfer and mounting/de-mounting of the load lock vessel to and from the main chamber takes around 3 hours. Thruster testing can be performed 24 hrs a day to minimise chamber occupation.

Access: The facility is owned and operated by QinetiQ Ltd. Access to the facility is prioritized but a forward planning process ensures that it is fully compatible with Announcements of Opportunity at European level. 100% of the facility resource can be made available to visiting scientists for the duration of a test.

2.2 m diameter Large European Electric Propulsion (LEEP2) vacuum test facility.

Contact: Mr. R.J. Blott, Space Department, A8 Building, QinetiQ, Farnborough, Hampshire, UK, GU14 OLX, UK. e-mail: rjblott@qinetiq.com Tel: +44 (0) 1252 395698.

Facility description: As with the LEEP1 facility, a large vacuum chamber is available for testing Electric Propulsion (EP) thrusters and EP systems. In is similar to the LEEP1 facility in many ways, although obviously the chamber is only 2.2m in diameter and 5 m long, and the range of flowrates of the propellant mass from the gridded ion thusters is only in the range of 0.05 to 20mg/s. Additionally the chamber is located in a hall compliant with ISO 8 conditions, and co-located in this hall are 4xISO 5 laminar flow benches, which can be used for the preparation and integation of equipment prior to test.

Mode of operation: A typical test campaign would involve the integration of the thruster/flow control unit (FCU) in the chamber load lock. This can be performed by either QinetiQ or customer staff. If required this work could be performed in ISO 6 clean room conditions. Thruster outgassing can be performed in the load lock without occupying the main chamber, which can be evacuated and prepared for thruster operation prior to integration of the load lock. Transfer and mounting/de-mounting of the load lock vessel to and from the main chamber takes around 3 hours. Thruster testing can be performed 24 hrs a day to minimise chamber occupation.

Access: The facility is owned and operated by QinetiQ Ltd. Access to the facility is on an unrestricted first come fist served basis and is fully compatible with Announcements of Opportunity at European level. 100% of the facility resources can be made avaliable to visiting scientists providing that adequate time has been provided to plan facility usage and preparation.

Ultrasonic levitation and filtration of microparticles, droplets and cells suspended in liquids.

Contact: Prof. W.T. Coakley, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3TL, UK. e-mail: coakley@cardiff.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0) 2920 874287

Facility description: Techniques and expertise are available for levitation, manipulation, filtration or washing of cells, microparticles and droplets in ultrasonic standing waves. The levitation simulates microgravity simulations while the manipulation ability permits study of interactions and aggregation of the levitated particles. The facility can accomodate physical and biological tests for studies in human tissue biology, biotechnology, biophysics, ecosystems and for fluid sciences.

Mode of Operation: Filtration system operates continuously while data recording from batch microscopic systems typically takes 5 min per sample. Batch samples can be tretaed sequentially at 7 min intervals. Subsequent data analysis, avaliable in the facility, typically takes a longer time and would be dependant of time for review of data and the variety of the analyses to be applied.

Access: The facility is owned by Cardiff university. Current rules of access are compatible with granting access to it by way of Announcements of Oppurtunity at European level. The percentage of the facility that could be made available to visiting scientists is in the order of 25-30%. Access would be adjusted in the light of requirements of investigators to carry out work at the facility and then spend a period on analysis before returning for further facility work.

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