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United States historic place
The
Lunar Landing Research Facility
was an area at NASA's
Langley Research Center
in
Hampton, Virginia
that was used to simulate
Apollo Moon landings
with a mock
Lunar Module
powered by a small rocket motor suspended from a crane over a simulated lunar landscape.
Completed in 1965 at a cost of $3.5 million, the facility was used by 24 astronauts, including
Neil Armstrong
and
Buzz Aldrin
, to practice solving piloting problems they would encounter in the last 150 feet (46 m) of descent to the surface of the Moon.
[4]
The structure was used to facilitate "flying" a full-scale Lunar Excursion Module Simulator (LEMS). The LEMS was suspended from a 200-foot (61 m)-tall, 400-foot (120 m)-long A-frame gantry by an overhead bridge crane. The LEMS is now on display at the
Virginia Air and Space Center
.
Post-Apollo uses
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Re-designated the
Impact Dynamics Research Facility
(IDRF) in 1974, the site was used for research on aircraft crashes until 2003. With limited funding for maintenance, NASA then closed the facility and it was listed for demolition.
[4]
In 2004, NASA determined that the IDRF could be adapted to support the
Constellation program
. It was re-opened in 2005 to conduct landing tests associated with the development of the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV)
Orion
. The facility was renamed the
Landing and Impact Research Facility
(LandIR) and minor modifications were made, including a new parallel winch system to support full-scale
Orion
testing and a new hydro-impact basin (splashdown pool) below the gantry. Construction of the basin was completed in 2011. After Constellation was cancelled, the LandIR continued performing impact testing since the CEV will be used to service the
International Space Station
.
[4]
The facility was designated a
National Historic Landmark
in 1985 for its role in the space program.
See also
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References
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External links
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