Active Response Gravity Offload System

  • Magazine Article
  • TBMG-29696
Published July 01, 2018 by Tech Briefs Media Group in United States
Sector:
Language:
  • English

NASA has used two systems to train astronauts for weightlessness. The first is the Reduced Gravity Simulator that suspended the astronaut at an angle of 80.5 so that only 1/6th of his or her weight was supported by the ground, while the rest was supported by a pulley system. The other system, designed during the Apollo era, is the Partial Gravity Simulator (POGO), which uses an air-controlled piston along with air bearings and gimbals to simulate reduced gravity. This pneumatic system is attached to an air-bearing rail to allow for maneuverability in two dimensions. POGO was used to train astronauts on how to use tools and other hardware in microgravity.