Skip to content

TechRepublic

  • Top Products Lists
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • Innovation
  • Cheat Sheets
  • Big Data
  • Tech Jobs
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • Top Products Lists
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • Innovation
  • Cheat Sheets
  • Big Data
  • Tech Jobs
  • See All Topics
  • Sponsored
  • Newsletters
  • Forums
  • Resource Library
TechRepublic Premium
Join / Sign In
Innovation

Photos: Inside Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab

By Erin Carson September 16, 2015, 8:17 AM PDT

Image
1
of 12

1nbl.jpg
1nbl.jpg
Photos: Inside Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab

Neutral Buoyancy Lab

Neutral Buoyancy Lab

TechRepublic visited the Neutral Buoyancy Lab at the Johnson Space Center where astronauts train for spacewalks.

This giant pool is an important piece of training for astronauts who will be completing extra vehicular activities (EVAs), or spacewalks. The pool prepares them for working in a (mostly) weightless environment, as neutral buoyancy refers to the equal tendency to float or sink.

SEE: NASA shows the world its 20-year virtual reality experiment to train astronauts: The inside story

Photos: Inside Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab

It's a big pool

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic

It's a big pool

The pool is about 100 x 200 x 40 ft and hold about 7 million gallons of water.

SEE: NASA shows the world its 20-year virtual reality experiment to train astronauts: The inside story

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic
Photos: Inside Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab

The International Space Station

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic

The International Space Station

The pool has mock ups of parts of the International Space Station so that astronauts can practice their EVAs.

SEE: NASA shows the world its 20-year virtual reality experiment to train astronauts: The inside story

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic
Photos: Inside Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab

Everybody in the pool

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic

Everybody in the pool

Each astronaut in the pool is accompanied by 4 divers. Since EVAs can take hours, those divers take shifts.

SEE: NASA shows the world its 20-year virtual reality experiment to train astronauts: The inside story

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic
Photos: Inside Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab

Poolside humor

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic

Poolside humor

NBL has its own lifeguard chair. It is a pool, after all.

SEE: NASA shows the world its 20-year virtual reality experiment to train astronauts: The inside story

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic
Photos: Inside Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab

Boogie board, anyone?

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic

Boogie board, anyone?

NBL’s small collection of pool toys.

SEE: NASA shows the world its 20-year virtual reality experiment to train astronauts: The inside story

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic
Photos: Inside Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab

An arm out of water

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic

An arm out of water

Here’s the mockup of the robotic arm, and a camera, in a rare moment out of the pool.

SEE: NASA shows the world its 20-year virtual reality experiment to train astronauts: The inside story

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic
Photos: Inside Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab

Minions or oxygen tanks?

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic

Minions or oxygen tanks?

NBL goes through a lot of oxygen tanks during training.

SEE: NASA shows the world its 20-year virtual reality experiment to train astronauts: The inside story

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic
Photos: Inside Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab

Gear

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic

Gear

NBL’s also not short on its stock of diving gear.

SEE: NASA shows the world its 20-year virtual reality experiment to train astronauts: The inside story

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic
Photos: Inside Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab

Art imitating training

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic

Art imitating training

In a few spots around the lab, you’ll run into paintings depicting scenes from the pool.

SEE: NASA shows the world its 20-year virtual reality experiment to train astronauts: The inside story

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic
Photos: Inside Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab

Outside of the pool

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic

Outside of the pool

Training for spacewalks includes not just those who will be outside the International Space Station, but the crew monitoring and the crew operating the robotic arm. The pool has its own control room, shown here.

SEE: NASA shows the world its 20-year virtual reality experiment to train astronauts: The inside story

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic
Photos: Inside Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab

Keep it cool

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic

Keep it cool

On display is the liquid cooling and ventilation garment worn underneath spacesuits. In total, it takes about 20 minutes to put on a spacesuit.

SEE: NASA shows the world its 20-year virtual reality experiment to train astronauts: The inside story

Image: Erin Carson/TechRepublic
  • Innovation
  • Account Information

    Share with Your Friends

    Photos: Inside Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab

    Your email has been sent

Share: Photos: Inside Johnson Space Center's Neutral Buoyancy Lab
Image of Erin Carson
By Erin Carson
Erin Carson is a Staff Reporter for CNET and a former Multimedia Editor for TechRepublic.
  • Account Information

    Contact Erin Carson

    Your message has been sent

  • |
  • See all of Erin's content

TechRepublic Premium

  • TechRepublic Premium

    Identity Theft Protection Policy

    Help protect your employees and customers from identity theft. This policy from TechRepublic Premium outlines precautions for reducing risk, signs to watch out for and steps to take if you suspect identity theft has occurred. While such misfortune may not be 100% preventable for everyone who follows these guidelines (since identity theft can still occur ...

    Published:  September 26, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  September 27, 2023, 9:00 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium articles
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Home Office Deduction Guide and Checklist

    There are rules about what qualifies as a home office, what qualifies as a deductible expense and what method should be used to calculate the deduction assuming those rules and qualifications are met. This guide, and the accompanying checklist, from TechRepublic Premium will help you navigate the twists and turns of those regulations to arrive ...

    Published:  September 26, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  September 27, 2023, 9:00 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium articles
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Quick Glossary: Malware

    Malware is an insidious infection that will steal productivity from your enterprise and potentially wreak havoc on your network. To prevent and counteract malware, it’s important to know the terminology surrounding it. This list of terms from TechRepublic Premium will help you grasp the vocabulary that describes malware and the technology that spawns it. From ...

    Published:  September 26, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  September 27, 2023, 9:00 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium articles
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Internet of Things Policy

    The Internet of Things continues making inroads in the business world, so organizations should have a defined IoT structure in place to ensure that data and operations are properly secured. This policy from TechRepublic Premium provides guidelines for the procurement, usage and administration of IoT devices, whether company provided or employee-owned. From the policy: Since ...

    Downloads
    Published:  September 26, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  September 27, 2023, 9:00 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium articles

Services

  • About Us
  • Newsletters
  • RSS Feeds
  • Site Map
  • Site Help & Feedback
  • FAQ
  • Advertise
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • Careers

Explore

  • Downloads
  • TechRepublic Forums
  • Meet the Team
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • Resource Library
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • TechRepublic
  • TechRepublic on Twitter
  • TechRepublic on Facebook
  • TechRepublic on LinkedIn
  • TechRepublic on Flipboard
© 2023 TechnologyAdvice. All rights reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Property of TechnologyAdvice