Neutral Buoyancy Space Simulator
Historic astronaut training facility in Huntsville, Alabama. Built 1967. Added to the National Register in 1985, and a National Historic Landmark.
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What it is
The Neutral Buoyancy Simulator was a neutral buoyancy pool located at NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The simulator was used from 1968 through its decommissioning in 1997. Marshall recognized the need for underwater simulations of extra-vehicular activities (EVAs) and developed three successively larger tanks for the purpose. The Neutral Buoyancy Simulator contributed significantly to the American crewed space program. Astronauts involved into Skylab, the Space Shuttle, Hubble Space Telescope, and the International Space Station missions trained in the facility. Until Johnson Space Center constructed the Weightless Environment Test Facility in the mid-1970s, MSFC had the only NASA-owned test facility that allowed engineers and astronauts to become familiar with the dynamics of body motion under weightless conditions.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The record
| Property type | Structure |
| Address | George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL |
| County | Madison County |
| Listed | Oct 3, 1985 |
| Listed for | Engineering |
| Level of significance | National |
| Reference number | 85002807 |
| Built | 1967 · more from the 1960s |
| Type of place | neutral buoyancy pool |
| Contributing resources | 1 structure |
The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗
Visiting
| Address | George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL |
| Coordinates | 34.6539° N, 86.6781° W · Directions ↗ |
| Also in Huntsville | 78 listed places in Huntsville → |
| Nearest national park unit | Russell Cave National Monument · 54 miles · on Park Atlas |
Explore
Map
Nearby in Madison County
Local history books for Huntsville
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Guidebooks to historic places and travel in Alabama
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
When was Neutral Buoyancy Space Simulator listed on the National Register?
Oct 3, 1985. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.
Source: National Park Service
When was Neutral Buoyancy Space Simulator built?
1967.
Source: Wikidata
Where is Neutral Buoyancy Space Simulator?
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Madison County, Alabama. The nearest national park unit is Russell Cave National Monument, 54 miles away.
Source: Russell Cave National Monument
Where is the nomination form for Neutral Buoyancy Space Simulator?
The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.
Source: National Archives
Is there cell service at Neutral Buoyancy Space Simulator?
FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Sources
Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 85002807. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA.