The Twenty-Five-Foot Space Simulator in Pasadena

Located at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, this 85-foot tall, 27-foot wide space chamber has been testing American space probes since 1961. Its walls and floor are lined with cooling shrouds that help maintain a temperature range from -320°F to 200°F, simulating the conditions of outer space. A series of lamps, lenses, and mirrors can irradiate the chamber with simulated solar energy, while the foundation is seismically isolated to absorb vibrations.

The chamber takes about 75 minutes to achieve the space-like environment, and about 21/2 hours to return to a normal environment. Next to it, a clean room is where equipment is prepared for testing. In 1985, it was declared a National Historic Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. This space-age facility isn't just a blast from the past - it's history in the making.

Built in 1961, it has been used to prepare many American space probes for their launches, including the Ranger, Surveyor, Mariner, and Voyager spacecraft. It also served as a test site for Ingenuity, the first helicopter to fly on Mars. The chamber can be depressurized to 5x10-7 torr and served as an example for other countries seeking to establish space programs.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons