The Space Simulation Vacuum Chamber mimics the conditions of space, where there is no air resistance, so objects like a feather and a bowling ball fall at the same rate, even though they each have very different weight.
NASA’s Space Power Facility located at the Glen Research Center, in Sandusky, Ohio has the world’s largest vacuum .
The Space Simulation Vacuum Chamber mimics the conditions of space, where there is almost no air resistance, so objects would fall at the same rate despite a difference in weight.
Professor Brian Cox recently used the vacuum chamber to test the gravity theories postulated by Galileo and Sir Isaac Newton.
These early thinkers came up with the idea that objects would fall at the same rate based on what Newton called universal gravitation.
In his experiment Cox demonstrated how a feather and a bowling ball fall at the same rate inside the chamber that is typically used to test spacecraft.
The 122 foot high chamber has a diameter of one hundred feet.
In order to create the largest vacuum on Earth, NASA scientists have to seal the chamber, and remove 800 thousand cubic feet of air, which takes three hours to complete.
