Source: York University http://www.yorku.ca/mediar/archive/Release.asp?Release=1142 York U launches major new space test facilityOctober 11, 2006 TORONTO, October 11, 2006 -- York University’s Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science (CRESS) today launched its new space test facility with a lab tour, including a demo of a machine that can simulate the vibrations of a rocket launch. Professor Ben Quine of the Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering demonstrated the lab’s thermal-vacuum and vibration modules, which are unique among Canadian universities. The equipment will help researchers test instruments for upcoming space missions, including the phoenix and northern light missions to Mars. The vibration test module simulates the take-off of a rocket, and can generate vibrations up to fifty times the force of gravity. The thermal-vacuum chamber is capable of replicating conditions of space including the extreme heat and cold experienced during space flight, and can cycle temperatures between 140 C to -140 C. The facility enables final-year undergraduates in York University’s existing space science stream and new space engineering program to participate in space test and research. York University is home to the only undergraduate space engineering program in Canada. Supported by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the Ontario Research Fund (ORF), these enhancements enable the end-to-end development, test and validation of space hardware and prototypes within a single university facility. York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 190,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 11 faculties and 23 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation. -30- For more information, please contact: Melissa Hughes, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22097 / mehughes@yorku.ca
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