posted 02-12-2009 04:58 AM               

Imagine a situation: you remove all the air from the chamber, as is the chamber meant to be, then you fill it with some noble gas, say helium or argon, etc, and then turn on a Tesla Coil that you put there in the first place... Now that would be a great show.

posted 02-12-2009 05:03 AM               

When I was there, they were getting ready to test a new faring for the Ariane 5, which if I recall correctly, would be the largest faring ever flown. (Because the faring was proprietary, I was asked not to take photographs).

posted 02-12-2009 05:15 AM               

Also, a more technical question. Would you have any idea, how are the walls reinforced? Vacuum may seem like 'nothing', but of all the people, you are certainly aware how enormous forces act on the walls.

I remember an experiment we once made, there was a sphere cut in half with some rubber in between to make it airtight (actually vacuum tight). The sphere was then emptied. When a force was used to OPEN the sphere, equal forces in both opposite directions [I believe it was 16 people that was needed to open it], the sound of air going inside was very much like an explosion, a cannonball like.

posted 02-12-2009 05:23 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by teopze:
Would you have any idea, how are the walls reinforced?

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The Aluminum Test Chamber is a vacuum-tight aluminum plate vessel that is 100 ft. in diameter and 122 ft. high. Designed for an external pressure of 2.5 psig and internal pressure of 5.0 psig, the chamber is constructed of Type 5083 aluminum which is a clad on the interior surface with a 1/8-in. thick type 3003 aluminum for corrosion resistance. This material was selected because of its low neutron absorption cross-section. The floor plate and vertical shell are 1-in. (total) thick, while the dome shell is 1 3/8 in. Welded circumferentially to the exterior surface is aluminum structural T-section members that are 3-ft. deep and 2 ft. wide. The doors of the test chamber are 50 X 50 ft. in size and have double door seals to prevent leakage. The chamber floor was designed for a load of 300 tons.

The concrete chamber enclosure serves as a primary vacuum barrier from atmospheric pressure. 130-ft. in diameter and 150-ft. in height, the chamber was designed to withstand atmospheric pressure outside of the chamber at the same time vacuum conditions are occurring within. The concrete thickness varies from 6-8 ft. and contains a leak-tight steel containment barrier embedded within. The chamber's doors are 50 X 50 and have inflatable seals. The space between the concrete enclosure and the aluminum test chamber is pumped down to a pressure of 20 torr (0.5 psia) during a test.

posted 02-13-2009 07:26 AM               

------------------
Jeff

"I send my rockets forth between my ears, hoping an inch of will is worth a pound of years. Aching to hear a voice cry back along the Universal Mall:

We've reached Alpha Centauri! We're tall,
O God......we're TALL!