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| Facility Description |
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Altitude Wind Tunnel: NACA engineers devised a number of ingenious features for the Altitude Wind Tunnel (AWT) to overcome the difficulties associated with operating engines in simulated altitude conditions. These features included a unique steel shell, an airscoop, a make-up air system, and specially designed banks of cooling coils.
Space Power Chambers: Between 1959 and 1963 the facility was slowly converted from a wind tunnel into two test chambers: one a large area that created altitude conditions similar to those produced during the tunnel years and the other, a smaller chamber, which was significantly modified to create a space environment. The facility was renamed the Space Power Chambers (SPC) in September 1962.
Support Buildings: The AWT complex incorporated several external buildings, which were vital to the operation of the facility. These included the Office and Shop Building, Refrigeration Building, Exhauster Building, and others. The tunnel’s cooling system was the largest of its kind in the world and considered one of Willis Carrier’s most significant accomplishments.
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| Images |
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AWT West-end |
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Support Buildings |
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SPC No. 1
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