NASAexplores 9-12 Article: Two-Ton Hockey Pucks (PDF)

Two-Ton Hockey Pucks 

Superman isn’t the only one who can move a 

2-ton automobile with his pinkie finger. 

Astronauts can do it, too. There aren’t any 

cars in space, but the crew can move objects 

of similar weight with just as much ease. In 

microgravity, there isn’t any friction to 

provide resistance; therefore, massive objects 

can become air-borne with a simple nudge. 

While it’s easy to move large pieces of 

equipment, they may be difficult to maneuver 

or stop. Nobody wants a 2-ton object drifting 

out of control! To help astronauts maintain 

control in space, astronauts practice what it’s 

like to work in microgravity while still on 

Earth. 

That’s where it gets complicated. There isn’t a microgravity simulator that perfectly 

replicates the environment of space. That’s why NASA has developed many different 

simulators. Each one of these simulators re-creates a specific part of microgravity. The 

KC-135 airplane allows astronauts to tumble through the air in a free fall. The Neutral 

Buoyancy Laboratory permits astronauts to work in an underwater lab with similar 

conditions to floating in space. Virtual reality simulators show astronauts the visual 

aspects of space. Drop towers put objects and experiments in a near-microgravity setting 

for short periods of time. But, where do astronauts practice moving those large, 

cumbersome objects? They proceed to the Precision Air Bearing Facility (PABF) at 

Johnson Space Center in Houston. 

At this facility, astronauts use the airbearing 

floor. Imagine a giant air 

hockey table about 6 meters [m] (20 

feet [ft]) wide and 9.1 m (30 ft) long, 

says Tom Smith. He is the mock-up 

manager for the PABF. Once on the 

special floor, astronauts can manipulate 

massive objects as easily as an air 

hockey puck floats across a game table. 

If you have ever played air hockey, 

you’ve seen the hockey puck float on a 

thin cushion of air blown from the 

surface of the table. On the air-bearing 

floor, it works conversely. The air is blown down through the hockey puck. This causes 

the puck to hover just millimeters off the floor. For 2-ton hockey pucks to stay in a 

position so close to the surface, that surface must be very smooth and level. 

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The floor is constructed of steel plates lined up alongside one another. More steel plates 

are combined to form pads. These pads are attached to the bottom of the objects that 

astronauts practice moving. Compressed air is then released into a tube that runs along 

the side and bottom of the plate. When running, the air-fed plates hover just above the 

floor’s surface so that it only requires a nudge for large objects to effortlessly glide across 

the surface. 

What kind of maneuvers do astronauts practice on the 

air-bearing floor? They mainly handle large orbital 

replacement units—some as large as a car—and 

learn how to carefully guide them in the right 

direction. They also practice using tools the way 

they’d be used in space. Without gravity to keep the 

astronaut in place, a simple twist of a screwdriver can 

send him or her spinning. Astronauts can compensate 

for the torque created by drills, wrenches, and pliers 

by anchoring themselves or bracing their bodies. 

Engineers also use the air-bearing floor as they’re 

developing products and parts that will travel into 

space, Smith says. Something as simple as a door hinge can be tested to see how it will 

work without the friction found on Earth. By moving the hinge on the giant precision airbearing 

floor, it’s easy to see if modifications need to be made because of microgravity. 

“Some people call this a zero-gravity room, but that’s not accurate,” says Smith. 

“There’s plenty of gravity in here. This floor simulates the effects of reduced gravity on 

one plane only, not throughout the entire room. It’s pretty amazing, though, to see how 

easy it is to move something weighing 2 tons with just your pinkie.” 

Related NASAexplores articles: 

“Just In Case”—Emergency landing sites for Space Shuttle launches 

http://www.nasaexplores.com/show2-articlea.php?id-02-010 

“Drop Everything!”—Drop towers 

http://www.nasaexplores.com/show2_articlea.php?id=02-006 

“Microgravity: Always a Bad Hair Day”—Effects of microgravity 


“The Weightless Wonder”—The KC-135 airplane 


“Astronauts Take a Dive”—The neutral buoyancy laboratory 


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NASAexplores 9-12 Article: Two-Ton Hockey Pucks (PDF)

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