NASA Plum Brook Station The path to the moon starts in Erie County.

World-Unique Quietly nestled on 6,400 acres in the townships of Erie County, Ohio sits NASA’s Plum Brook Station. A division of the NASA Glenn Research Center located in Cleveland, Plum Brook serves as a world-class testing facility which performs complex and innovative ground tests for the international space community. Plum Brook Station has large, world-unique facilities that simulate the environment of space, including an electric aircraft testbed for investigating flight weight power train systems, the world’s largest thermal-vacuum space simulation chamber, the largest mechanical vibration table, the most powerful reverberant acoustic test chamber, the largest electromagnetic test chamber, the largest space simulation chamber fpr testing planetary dust, the largest liquid hydrogen-capable space simulation chamber, and the only cold soak start/restart rocket engine test facility. This unparalleled facility here in North Central Ohio enables NASA, other governmental agencies, and academic and industry partners from across the country to perform specialized research and testing to support the Agency’s Aeronautics, Space and Science Missions as well as the country’s interests in these areas.

Enabling Exploration of the Universe In 2018 NASA announced the latest project to utilize the local Space Environment Complex (SEC) - coming to Plumbrook in summer of 2019 is the Orion and Exploration Mission-1 scheduled for space launch in 2020. NASA is returning to the Moon to explore in a sustainable way. This time it’s not only about flags and footprints; it’s about a long-term presence on the Moon, where it will be used it as a proving ground to develop and test technologies for future missions to Mars.   To get to the Moon, the first step will be the launch of Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) and the Orion spacecraft – the first integrated, uncrewed flight test of NASA’s Deep Space Exploration Systems. EM-1 is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions. They will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate the commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond, and work done in Erie County, Ohio will be a part of this journey.

Supporting the Mission To support the mission and upcoming testing, NASA Glenn/Plum Brook personnel have been working to develop and build specific hardware and prepare the facilities at Plum Brook to ensure they meets all program/mission and safety requirements for pre-launch testing. Personnel are constructing and testing test and ground support hardware, including the thermal vacuum chamber’s cryoshroud, which will provide the cold background of space, and a Heat Flux System used to heat specific areas on the spacecraft to simulate. The team at Plum Brook will test this hardware in the facility before the spacecraft arrives to show that everything meets Orion requirements and can provide the harsh space-like environment to ensure the EM-1 spacecraft will survive its maiden voyage. This also is an opportunity for the NASA and Lockheed Martin teams to practice working together on control console with all of the test specific systems. The Verticator, an enormous piece of tooling used to stand the spacecraft up after its long journey from Florida to Ohio, will also be brought to Plum Brook, assembled, and checked out.

Reaching Beyond the Fences Outside of Plum Brook’s fence, NASA worked with the State of Ohio, several local governments and multiple utility companies to clear an overland shipping route, what those in the industry call the “space corridor,” from Mansfield Lahm airport to Plum Brook Station. Along the route, more than 700 power and other utility lines had to be raised or moved to accommodate the size of the truck/spacecraft, which will stand at more than 22 feet tall during the move. This effort also included the establishment of a shorter transportation route from the Port of Huron to Plum Brook, for articles that may be shipped across the Great Lakes vs. flown into Mansfield.   In all, these facility and transportation route improvements will attract future opportunities for the facility to test larger, more complex space vehicles; not only for NASA hardware, but for commercial partners as well. The Future is Here Outside of EM-1 related testing, the Plumbrook SEC has other deep space exploration mission testing for NASA already on the schedule including a spacecraft fairing separation test in early 2020 and abort-level testing of the environmental test article – the returned EM-1 crew module in 2021.   NASA Glenn and the Plum Brook Station continue to be important institutions influencing the economic life of both Northeast Ohio and the State of Ohio. Their team is part of the knowledge intensive labor force that generates wealth in the region and advances the nation.

Economic Impact of NASA Glenn & Plumbrook Station

Did You Know? In 2017 NASA Glenn awarded $18.1 million to colleges & universities - $5.7 million in Ohio and $3.2 million in Northeast Ohio. Colleges and universities play an important role in talent and human capital development, research and problem solving, and community improvement. These three overarching missions ensure the conditions necessary for economic prosperity and produce strong and vibrant communities. ECEDC can help your organization connect with higher education. Contact us to learn more.

The 12 Days of Development email series recognizes and celebrates another year of progress in Erie County, Ohio. Throughout the month of December, you will receive email spotlights on a company investing, improving and innovating in our community. We can't capture it all, so let us know a neighbor we missed or what activities you've got planned to make the 2019 list! #ErieCounty12Days

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*Photos for this message provided by the Sandusky Register and Derrick's Diner.