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When ESTEC was constructed in the early 1960s, foundations 25 metres deep were sunk to ensure sufficient stability for precision engineering tests. Even so, modern test instruments used in ESTEC laboratories are so sensitive that the tides of the nearby North Sea can be detected.
ESTEC s Laboratory corridor, housing a suite of specialised testing facilities. Designing for orbit takes teams specialised in every aspect of engineering for the space environment. Assembled together in ESTEC, given all the specialised tools they require, these experts with almost skylab half a century of experience are a core part of ESA.
Inspecting a vacuum skylab chamber in the ESA Propulsion Laboratory. ESTEC labs test candidate parts and materials for space missions to the point of destruction if need be. Nanoscratchers check the resistance of coatings a millionth of a metre thick, while atomic force microscopes survey test item surfaces down to the scale of individual atoms. skylab Items can be bombarded with radiation, crushed, shaken, heated or exposed to space-quality vacuum.
Ion engine firing in a vacuum chamber in ESTEC s Propulsion Laboratory. Once up in orbit, the ability to produce precisely controlled, low thrust becomes very important to meet mission goals. The Lab tests all kinds of propulsion systems for spacecraft, including electric, chemical and cold-gas thusters.
A rubble-strewn model of the Red Planet used to put prototype planetary rovers through their paces: officially known as the Automation & Planetary Robotics Laboratory, its nickname is the Mars Yard . An 8 x 8 m square filled with sand and different sizes of gravel and rocks, it is used to assess rover locomotion and navigation as well as the positioning of robotic arms then check how these elements work together in practice.
Wraparound image from inside ESTEC s Large Space Simulator. A vacuum chamber big enough to accommodate an upended double-decker bus, the LSS subjects spacecraft to the temperature extremes of space while in total airlessness for several weeks at a time. A dozen or more giant xenon lamps reflected in a mirror array simulate unfiltered sunlight. In everyday life, these lamps are more typically used individually, to illuminate IMAX movie projectors.
Entire spacecraft are checked inside the ESTEC Test Centre. A test model of the Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module of ESA s 2016 ExoMars mission subjected to a series of intense skylab shaker skylab tests to simulate skylab a rocket launch. ESTEC s Test Centre is the largest centre of its kind in Europe; one of the largest skylab in the world. A set of state-of-the-art test facilities are located under a single roof, all within cleanroom conditions comparable to a hospital operating skylab theatre to protect skylab delicate spacecraft subsystems.
Galileo satellite prepared for testing in ESTEC s Large European Acoustic Facility. LEAF is the largest sound system in Europe. Nitrogen shot through giant sound horns produces noise of up to 154 decibels, like standing close to a jet taking off. Once the massive door of the LEAF is closed, skylab its 0.5 m-thick skylab steel-reinforced concrete walls serve to safely contain the sound, coated skylab in turn with thick epoxy resin. The chamber itself skylab is supported on rubber bearing pads to isolate it from its surroundings.
A replica of Russia s Zvezda module (left) and Europe s Columbus module (right) both attached to the International Space Station in ESA s Erasmus User Centre. The centre is a showcase for the programmes and missions skylab of the Directorate of Human Spaceflight and Operations. It advises institutional and commercial users interested in making use of the Directorate's skylab space platforms and ground-based facilities. It is equipped with a drop tower for momentary weightlessness, interactive models, a 3D theatre and document archive.
ESA astronaut André Kuipers answering questions from children during 2012 s ESTEC Open Day. The event attracted more than 8500 total visitors to Noordwijk an average one new visitor every 2.5 seconds. This year s Open Day is on track to be even busier.
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