Stainless Steel Beams for NASA's Johnson Space Center

Stainless Structurals was involved in a very cool project for Chamber A of NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Stainless steel and aerospace – a rocketing combination!

The Famous Chamber A at NASA

NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas is home to historic Chamber A, an enormous thermal vacuum testing chamber. It became famous due to testing of the Apollo Spacecraft and its missions. Testing in this chamber was originally done both with and without flight crew. This Chamber, a National Historic Landmark, is being put to good use today as the test chamber for the James Webb Space Telescope, which is the largest space observatory ever.

Johnson Space Center Needs Renovation

In order to house the Webb telescope, Chamber A had to go through a major renovation and reconstruction project. It took several years for the reconstruction project to be completed from the initial design phase. Engineering and technical teams from NASA, as well as Jacobs Engineering, and Harris Corporation worked on the project. Now, the project is complete and Chamber A is the largest high-vacuum, cryogenic-optical test chamber in the world. The door alone is 40 feet in diameter and weighs over 40 tons. The overall outside dimensions for this chamber are 65 feet in diameter and 120 feet high. With the new elements of the chamber, NASA can test the equipment in extreme temperatures all the way down to minus 236 degrees Celsius.

James Webb Space Telescope Testing at Johnson Space Center

In order to test the Webb telescope in the reconstructed Chamber, engineers had to design a very large steel platform to hold the telescope and its testing equipment in precise alignment. Another factor in this telescope’s testing is that it had to be kept in a clean environment to prevent dirt, dust and more from obstructions of the test. However, it was not the inside of the Chamber that was the issue because it is clean. But to work on the telescope requires more space. So NASA built a large “Clean Room” around the entrance to Chamber A to work on equipment and for general maintenance.

Stainlees Steel Is The Material Of Choice

For extreme temperatures and clean room environments like this project, there is no better material than stainless steel. So when Jacobs Engineering was designing a new rail system for Chamber A, they came to Stainless Structurals for their stainless steel needs. With our laser fusion process we were able to produce both custom stainless steel beams and standard 12 inch wide flange beams in 304/L stainless steel. All in all, they met the tight tolerances, finish requirements, and custom lengths demanded for this chamber rail system.

A Product for All Industries

Stainless Structurals has been involved in projects for many different industries but this one was out of this world. The space program in itself is unique and historic. To be a part of the James Webb Telescope and Chamber A project in Johnson Space Center is special. However, this is just one example of how our materials can be found across many different industries including aerospace. Contact us today for your next out of this world design!