Our Facilities

The Planetary Space Sciences Department at Open Universities is home to cutting-edge facilities designed to support advanced research in planetary and space environments. Our state-of-the-art equipment includes:

Hypervelocity Impact Laboratory

• All-Axis Light Gas Gun: Capable of simulating high-speed impacts, providing valuable insights into planetary collision phenomena.
• Van de Graaff Accelerator: Used for generating high-energy particle beams to replicate space radiation environments and study material responses.

Space and Planetary Environment Laboratory

• “George” - Large Dirty Mars Chamber: A specialized chamber designed for recreating the Martian environment, complete with simulated dust and atmospheric conditions.
• “Edmund” - Clean Cylindrical Chamber: A clean, cylindrical chamber tailored for controlled space environment simulations.
• “Baldrick” - Large Clean Circular Chamber: Designed for a variety of space simulation experiments, ensuring a clean environment for sensitive research.
• “Queenie” - Large Clean Bell-Jar Chamber: Ideal for experiments requiring a large, clean vacuum environment, allowing for versatile research setups.
• “Bob” - Small Desktop Chamber: A compact chamber perfect for smaller-scale experiments or preliminary testing in a controlled space environment.

These facilities enable researchers to replicate and study various aspects of planetary and space conditions, advancing our understanding of the universe.