Status Report

Live Video Chat: Active Response Gravity Offload System, or ARGOS

By SpaceRef Editor
September 22, 2011
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NASA Explorer Schools invites students in grades 9-12 from across the U.S. and Departments of Defense and State schools to participate in a special live video web chat with Larry Dungan, project manager and electrical engineer designer for the Active Response Gravity Offload System. Dungan will answer student questions about ARGOS, a computer-controlled overhead crane system that allows a human test subject to move in a simulated reduced-gravity environment, such as the moon, Mars or space.

This hourlong video webchat begins at 2 p.m. EDT on Sept 27, 2011.

You do not need to be a participant of the NASA Explorer Schools project to participate in the chat.

For background information about ARGOS, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/engineering/integrated_environments/active_response_gravity/index.html.

To learn more about NES, please visit the explorerschools.nasa.gov website.

For more information about this NES live video chat, visit http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/nes2/home/argos-chat.html.

If you have any questions about the webcast, contact NASA-Explorer-Schools@mail.nasa.gov.

Active Response Gravity Offload System

“The Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) is designed to simulate reduced gravity environments, such as Lunar, Martian, or microgravity, using an overhead gantry crane system. ARGOS supplies continuous offload of a portion of a subject’s weight during dynamic motions such as walking, running, and jumping, to simulate Lunar, Martian or microgravity. The ARGOS facility follows the subject’s motion in the horizontal directions to maintain a vertical offload force. The facility will be capable of supporting surface operation studies, suit and vehicle requirements development, suit and vehicle design evaluation, and training with both suited and shirt-sleeved participants. The facility will be capable of offloading the weight of rovers and robots for testing in simulated reduced gravity environments.”

SpaceRef staff editor.