Skylab Medical Experiment Altitude Test
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 1⁄3 bar and 70% oxygen level.[1] Closed-circuit TV provided views of activities inside the chamber.
| Simulation Conditions |
|---|
| 1⁄3 bar pressure |
| 70 percent oxygen level |
| 56 days duration |
References
- ↑ David Hitt; Owen K. Garriott & Joseph P. Kerwin (2008). Homesteading Space: The Skylab Story. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-3639-4.