Microgravity Simulation Support Facility

Researchers are in the Microgravity Simulation Support Facility (MSSF) inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 11, 2020. In front, from left, are Jonathan Gleeson, aerospace engineer on the LASSO contract; Jason Fischer, a research and development scientist on the LASSO contract; and Ralph Nacca, aerospace flight systems. In back, from left, are Jeffrey Richards, a payload research and science coordinator on the LASSO contract; Dr. Ye Zhang, a project scientist; Dr. Srujana Neelam, a NASA post-doctoral fellow; Jessica Hellein, NASA intern; and Emily Keith, NASA intern. The facility was developed to provide ground simulation capability to the U.S. research community in order to supplement the limited opportunities to access the International Space Station and other platforms for microgravity research. The MSSF is designed to support biological research on microorganisms, cells, tissues, small plants and small animals. The simulator provides NASA with an alternative platform for microgravity research and creates the opportunity to conduct experiments on the space station in parallel with conditions of simulated microgravity on the ground.