Skylab Medical Experiment Altitude Test
Encyclopedia
The Skylab Medical Experiment Altitude Test, or SMEAT, was a 56-day simulation of an American
Skylab
space mission from July 26–September 19, 1972 at NASA
's Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas
. The astronauts in the test were Bob Crippen, Karol Bobko, and William Thornton
, who simulated space experiments, housekeeping and leisure activities in a hypobaric chamber.
SMEAT's main objective was to evaluate equipment and procedures proposed for use during the Skylab missions. NASA also wanted to obtain a baseline of physiological data for crewmembers confined in a test chamber at to compare to the orbiting crews in Skylab living in zero-G. The crew was subjected to a pressure of bar
and 70% oxygen level. Closed-circuit TV provided views of activities inside the chamber.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Skylab
Skylab
Skylab was a space station launched and operated by NASA, the space agency of the United States. Skylab orbited the Earth from 1973 to 1979, and included a workshop, a solar observatory, and other systems. It was launched unmanned by a modified Saturn V rocket, with a mass of...
space mission from July 26–September 19, 1972 at NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The astronauts in the test were Bob Crippen, Karol Bobko, and William Thornton
William E. Thornton
William Edgar Thornton is a former NASA Astronaut. Thornton was born in Faison, North Carolina, and is married with two sons to the former Elizabeth Jennifer Fowler of Hertfordshire, England.-Education:...
, who simulated space experiments, housekeeping and leisure activities in a hypobaric chamber.
SMEAT's main objective was to evaluate equipment and procedures proposed for use during the Skylab missions. NASA also wanted to obtain a baseline of physiological data for crewmembers confined in a test chamber at to compare to the orbiting crews in Skylab living in zero-G. The crew was subjected to a pressure of bar
Bar (unit)
The bar is a unit of pressure equal to 100 kilopascals, and roughly equal to the atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea level. Other units derived from the bar are the megabar , kilobar , decibar , centibar , and millibar...
and 70% oxygen level. Closed-circuit TV provided views of activities inside the chamber.
| Simulation Conditions |
|---|
| bar Bar (unit) The bar is a unit of pressure equal to 100 kilopascals, and roughly equal to the atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea level. Other units derived from the bar are the megabar , kilobar , decibar , centibar , and millibar... pressure |
| 70 percent oxygen level |
| 56 days duration |