Spring 2010

MSTC Meeting and Facilities Tour

Proposal for Houston
Presented by Jon Berndt
3 December 2009
 Texas / Houston

Houston

Galveston

Site location is to the west

of Galveston Bay, Texas,
about 30 miles southeast of
Houston.
 Houston / Clear Lake
Ellington Field

NASA / Johnson Space Center

All potential visit locations

are within a 5 mile radius
of Johnson Space Center.
Simulation Facilities
◦ SSTF – Space Station Training Facility
◦ SMS – Shuttle Mission Simulator
◦ SES – Shuttle Engineering Simulator
◦ NBL – Neutral Buoyancy Lab
◦ ROC – Reconfigurable Operational Cockpit
◦ EDL – Exploration Development Lab
◦ Kedalion – Lab
◦ SVML – Space Vehicle Mockup Facility
◦ STA Gulfstream and in-flight, ground based sims
◦ Etc.
◦ VASIMR facility at Ad Astra (Friday only)
Space Station Training Facility
Crew Stations
MDM Emulators
Instructor Stations

Simulation Virtual Machine

(Brains of the Simulation)
Glass Rack Trainers Payload Racks
Shuttle Mission Simulator
- Motion Base
- Crew Training
 Shuttle Engineering Simulator
Real-time SES operations
are used for pilot-in-the-
loop software change
request (CR) development,
astronaut training and
familiarization, crew
procedure development and
verification, verification of
display and control changes,
and final verification of A/E
SES software modifications
 Neutral Buoyancy Lab
The NBL was sized to
perform two activities
simultaneously; each
uses mockups
sufficiently large to
produce meaningful
training content and
duration. It is 202 ft in
length, 102 ft in width,
and 40 ft in depth (20
ft above ground level
and 20 ft below) and
holds 6.2 million
gallons of water.
 Reconfigurable Operational Cockpit
The ROC includes just a
small slice of Orion interior,
made of white Masonite and
simple aluminum framing.
An ordinary bar stool with
a blue-cloth seat pulls up to
the control panel.
Astronauts and designers
were able to see what each
of the 20 different versions
of window configurations
would show at critical
stages of a mission.
 Exploration Development Lab
The new 10,000 sq. ft.
EDL is a state-of-the-art
test facility funded by
Lockheed Martin and its
teammates United
Space Alliance and
Honeywell as part of an
integrated network that
includes facilities in
Denver, Glendale, AZ
and Arlington, VA. The
EDL network is
designed to reduce risk
by providing an early
opportunity to perform
systems level avionics
and software testing for
Orion in a realistic
environment.
 Kedalion Lab

Kedalion is an engineering analysis

environment for the NASA Project
Orion Flight Software Team to do
insight and oversight functions of
the prime contractor team
Space Vehicle Mockup Facility
The Space Vehicle Mockup Facility (SVMF)
develops, operates and maintains the
mockup and trainer facilities to support
astronaut training and engineering activities
at Johnson Space Center.

9* 10 11* 12

8 3 2 16 * 13*
14
1* 17 15
7 6 5 4

SVMF Highbay
* Doors with Keypads
 Shuttle Training Aircraft & Sim
The Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) is a
NASA training vehicle that duplicates
the Space Shuttle's approach profile
and handling qualities, allowing Space
Shuttle pilots to simulate Shuttle
landings under controlled conditions
before attempting the task on board
the orbiter.
 VASIMR Lab, Ad Astra
Ad Astra Rocket Company
(AARC) is dedicated to the
development of advanced plasma
rocket propulsion technology.
The company is continuing with
development of the Variable
Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma
Rocket (VASIMR) and its
associated technologies.
Meeting Facility
 Can reserve a meeting room in Jacobs’
new building in Webster, Texas, just a few
miles from NASA / JSC.
 State of the art meeting room has call-in,
projection, LCD, and audio capabilities.
 Catering for Meeting Lunch
 Recommend Mediterraneo of Nassau Bay, Texas.
 Catering menu:
www.mediterraneomarket.com/catering.html
 Example (there are many variations):
 Greek Salad (24 people): $54
 Souvlaki Kebab (24 people, two each): $168
 Stuffed Grape Leaves (24 people, 3 each): $50.00
 Hummus (24 people): $42.00
 Baklava (24 people): $24.00
 Total: $338 ($14.00 each)
 With tax and tip: ~$450.00 ($18.75 each)
Optional or Extracurriculars
 Space Center Houston is adjacent to JSC
◦ Tram tours of JSC/Mission Control/Rocket
Park
◦ IMAX Theatre
 Lone Star Flight Museum and Moody
Gardens are in Galveston
 The Kemah Boardwalk is in Kemah on
Galveston Bay
Local Restaurants
 Villa Capri
◦ Great lunch buffet
◦ Outdoor patio on Clear Lake
Additional Local Restaurants
 Fuddrucker’s (has outdoor patio)
 Mamacita’s (has covered patio)
 The Aquarium (Kemah)
 Landry’s (Kemah)
 T-Bone Tom’s (Kemah)
 Perry’s Italian Grill (Clear Lake)
 Zio’s Italian Restaurant
Local Hotels
 Nassau Bay Hilton 281-333-9300
◦ Adjacent to JSC
◦ Rooms $140-$220 (typical $170)
◦ 3000 NASA Road One, Houston, Texas,
United States 77058-4322
Local Hotels
 Boardwalk Inn (Kemah) 281-334-9880
◦ High End Hotel
◦ On Galveston Bay, 5 miles from JSC
◦ Rooms typically $259
◦ # 8 Kemah Waterfront, Kemah, Texas 77565
 Local Hotels
 Residence Inn, Clear Lake 281-486-2424
◦ Room typically $179
◦ 525 Bay Area Boulevard Houston, Texas 77058
◦ Centrally located in Clear Lake, 2 miles from JSC