Big Mouth Science

11 responses to “Big Mouth Science”

1. 

   jurvetson

   Jan 27, 2013 at 9:57 pm

   Bruce La Fetra caught me on the gang-plank…
   
   The ramp retracts, and then the door slides up from under the floor of the test section, locking into place to provide an air-tight seal.

   I caught Paul doing the the 2001 Space Odyssey Walk
   

   Off in the distance, the largest vortex generators in the world. They are located immediately downstream from the test section, at the transition to the larger/slower airflow area, to keep the laminar air stream from separating from the walls.

   

   Then, looking back into the darkness, making the invisible visible with a 5-second exposure:

   

   and in the other direction
   

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2. 

   Bruce La Fetra

   Jan 28, 2013 at 12:27 am

   These pillars are located immediately downstream from the test section, and were added when the wind tunnel was upgraded from 200 to 300 kt maximum. Without them, the expansion in the air flow and resulting pressure change would collapse the structure. The first pillar is protected in case anything comes loose in the test section.

   Reply
3. 

   thepretenda

   Jan 28, 2013 at 3:00 am

   awesome!

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4. 

   Chucil

   Jan 28, 2013 at 4:52 pm

   It will be a fun ride if someone is in a giant plastic bubble and loses his/her gravity in this.

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5. 

   Gwen ‘s

   Jan 29, 2013 at 1:22 am

   Wow! amazing place and great photo!!!

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6. 

   jurvetson

   Jan 29, 2013 at 3:47 am

   or just let Tony Hawk loose in the place…..

   another view

   

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7. 

   Chucil

   Jan 29, 2013 at 9:59 am

   Either Tony or bubble boom bam crashes on someone or Tony or bubble takes someone on the ride. Either way the wind might feel more joyous than the Titanic version, closed eyes or open eyes.
   Does this place open to Citizen Joe or Citizen Jane, too?

   Reply
8. 

   Bruce La Fetra

   Jan 29, 2013 at 8:04 pm

   NASA Ames doesn’t offer public tours. As you can see, there are exceptions. Our group (LUNAR – http://www.lunar.org) is a local rocket club that launches at Ames and participates in some of NASA’s outreach efforts. A lot of our guys (and the occasional gal) design and build their own rockets, so we have an appreciation of the work and science done at NFAC. That made us an attractive exception.

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9. 

   thepretenda

   Jan 30, 2013 at 2:39 am

   In that Case!

   I want to say a big THANK YOU to the LUNAR rocketeers for sharing photos of their unique insight into what goes into exploring the World beyond our own!

   On Behalf Of Regular People Everywhere,
   Kind Regards,

   thepretenda

   Reply
10. 

    On Being

    Feb 15, 2016 at 9:47 pm

    What a stunning image! I used this image on the website OnBeing.org, a national public radio program and media project. It’s generous people like you who make their work available on Flickr that adds a depth and a splendor to the work we do. Your image was included in this article at:

    http://www.onbeing.org/blog/sharon-salzberg-the-north-star-takin...

    Thank you!

    Reply
11. 

    In Memoriam: jerryfi_99

    Mar 2, 2021 at 4:34 am

    Cool! Just cool!

    Reply