The United States is preparing to return to the moon, and part of that training runs through the Bay Area. NBC Bay Area's Scott Budman strapped into the lunar landing simulator at NASA's Ames Research Center on Thursday, Oct. 29, for a report on how astronauts get ready.
A building-sized ride
NASA calls its Vertical Motion Simulator the largest of its kind in the world. It has been in use at Ames since 1979. The simulator can travel 60 feet vertically and 40 feet horizontally, letting pilots feel realistic motion in vehicles from helicopters to spacecraft.
NBC Bay Area described it as a system of motors, hydraulics and technology. It can simulate a moon landing as well as a shuttle launch or another kind of spacecraft, and astronauts have trained on it before many missions.
What's new
- Digital, not analog: The simulator has switched from analog systems to modern digital technology.
- A 4K dome: A dome around the cockpit uses 4K projectors to create visuals with nearly 20/20 clarity and a wider field of view.
- Automatic image matching: The system can line up and color-match images for the simulated background, a job that used to take hours or days by hand.
- Swap-in cockpits: Switching from, say, a lunar lander to an air taxi used to mean moving a heavy cab. Now teams use lighter removable inserts with just the controls, seats and panels they need, which NASA says cuts setup time in half.
"The new dome configuration and improved systems can support far more aggressive mission tasks while giving pilots and crews a more realistic environment to work in," said Diana Acosta, NASA Ames' aerospace simulation research and development branch chief.
NASA says the upgrades will let teams test next-generation aircraft and spacecraft before they ever leave the ground, including for human landings on the Moon and Mars.