Mark 1 Test Facility

The Mark I Test Facility is a state-of-the-art space environment simulation test chamber for full-scale space systems testing. A $1.5M dollar upgrade in fiscal year 2000 replaced existing oil diffusion pumps with a complete dry pumping system, cleaned the interior of the chamber and refinished the surface the (LN2) thermal shroud. A new Hewlett Packard 3852, with 1,500 channels of data capability, replaced the previous Micro-Vax data system. These upgrades, combined with the shear size of the facility, at 42 ft diameter by 82 ft, postures AEDC for future testing of full-scale satellites and other space systems requiring a contamination-free test environment.