NASTAR® Center Student Payload Testing

The NASTAR Center as a Testing Resource

The NASTAR Center is a one-of-a-kind commercial facility with an altitude chamber, high performance human centrifuge, spatial disorientation training devices, an ejection seat trainer, and aircraft simulators. All of the NASTAR Center’s equipment was manufactured by its parent company, Environmental Tectonics Corporation (ETC). NASTAR opened its doors in 2007; ETC has been in business since 1969. The NASTAR Center provides training services for the commercial space, military aviation, civil aviation, and education markets.

Assets and facilities at the NASTAR Center provide significant opportunities for STEM learning in an informal setting and ETC has dedicated resources to educational programming. Because it is a commercial facility, teachers and students can readily access NASTAR equipment and the NASTAR Center can quickly institute programs that respond to market needs.

The NASTAR Center has developed procedures that allow cubesat-size (4” x 4” x 4”) self-contained experiments to be flown in its centrifuge on the same profile used for commercial suborbital spaceflight training. Experiments will be subjected to up to 6 Gx (fore and aft direction) and 4 Gz (up and down direction) during the launch and reentry portions of the flight. In the altitude chamber, experiments can be “flown” to a pressure altitude equivalent to 100,000 feet.

Facilities are available Monday – Friday, from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

Experiments must be self contained, with their own power and data acquisition systems. Experiments will also have to undergo a safety review by ETC personnel prior to flight approval.

Pricing

Experiment packages will be flown in the centrifuge on an individual basis (one at a time) at a cost of $400.00 per flight for the existing suborbital spaceflight profile. If a custom G profile is desired, a separate price will need to be calculated.

The cost for altitude chamber testing is $200.00 per experiment. Experiments will be flown to

a pressure altitude of up to 100,000 feet and will remain at that altitude for 15 minutes. If a longer duration at altitude is desired, a separate price will need to be calculated.

The experiment provider may be present during the test to monitor their payload and retrieve results immediately after the flight.

Staffing

The NASTAR Center will provide equipment operators for the centrifuge and altitude chamber.

Expected Results

Researchers and experiment providers will receive their payload and a printout of the actual flight profile.

Contact Information

Gregory P. KennedyDirector of Educational Programs The NASTAR Center125 James WaySouthampton, PA 18966(215) 355-9100 X1512 (voice)(267) 989-1251 (fax)