Cosmodome (Laval)

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The Cosmodome is the home to both Space Camp Canada and the Space Science Center. Space Camp Canada welcomed its first campers in July 1994. The museum portion of the Cosmodome, that is the Space Science Center was only open to the public in December of the same year.

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[edit] The Space Science Center

The Space Science Center is the only museum in all of Canada dedicated solely to the space sciences. It houses one of only two lunar rocks in Canada. The one featured was retrieved by astronaut James Irwin on the Apollo 15 mission.

[edit] Space Camp Canada

Space Camp Canada is one of 5 Space Camps located around the world, the others being in Huntsville, Alabama, Turkey, Belgium and Japan.

Space Camp Canada features 6 space simulators, each designed to help the space camp trainee understand the difficulties of working in space. The different simulators used in the training room at Space Camp Canada are as followed.

[edit] 1/6th Chair

The 1/6th chair simulates lunar gravity by suspending the user in a chair connected to a series of springs on a rail which allows for movement in an allotted area. A trainee's challenge on the 1/6 chair is to pick up objects from the ground while bouncing.

[edit] Zero G Wall

The Zero G Wall, or, by its official title, the Wall of Weightlessness, functions by means of a counterbalance which helps suspend the simulator in mid air. By filling the counterbalance with water until its weight is approximately that of the trainee, the trainee is free to move around in the 3 translational directions.

Missions are usually given to trainees to heighten the experience and generally consist of interacting, in one way or another, with a mock-satellite suspended in proximity to the wall.

[edit] Space Station Mobility Trainer

[edit] Manned Maneuvering Unit

The Manned Maneuvering Unit simulates the NASA vehicle of the same name. By forcing compressed air out rubber pads, the Space Camp MMU functions as a hovercraft, and is hence able to move with little resistance. A series of motors controlled via user input allow for horizontal translations and rotations, and a large gear and hydraulic pump allow for 360 degree roll and 30 degree pitch respectively.

[edit] 5 Degrees of Freedom

[edit] Multi-Axis Chair

A trainee is strapped to the multi-axis chair which spins around and around disorientating its occupant. A trainee's challenge at the multi-axis chair is to read words, identify images, and do other tasks while rolling in three dimensions simultaneously.