Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory

A hub of human spaceflight activity for more than half a century, NASA’s Johnson Space Center is home to the country’s astronaut corps, the International Space Station mission operations, the Orion Program and all kinds of future space developments. The Johnson Space Center is pivotal role in enhancing scientific and technological knowledge to benefit all of humankind. Found at Johnson Space Center, the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) is a 40-foot-deep tank into which astronauts dive to simulate conditions very close to the weightlessness of space. Large enough to fit full-scale working models of the Space Shuttle and ISS robotic arms, the NBL allows astronauts to practice necessary maneuvers before heading into orbit. A full team of astronauts, suited up in modified space suits, can work on any given project alongside a team of divers to help with any logistical issues. With voice communication systems installed in the pool and space suits, astronauts can use the NBL to simulate everything from repairing the Hubble Space Telescope to maintaining the exterior functions of the ISS to installing new hardware while learning about how their bodies move differently, how some scientific principles no longer apply and how to compensate for it all while accomplishing their missions.

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