Technical description

The "Hydrospace" program is a unique complex of engineering facilities and is intended for training cosmonauts for their operations in outer space. This new aspect of technological activity is carried out under conditions, which are playing a conflicting role to the conditions both of the human being's and human civilization development.

The Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory includes:

A swimming pool; A mock-up of the "Orlan-M" EVA-suit; Space engineering and equipment mock-ups; Lifting machinery complex; Air- and water supply systems complex; SCUBA equipment and harness; PDK-2U decompression chamber, which simulates underwater submersion down to 100 m (10 atmospheres); йHyperbaric oxygenation complex; Video- and telemetry monitoring and processing complex; Lighting systems.

The swimming pool is a cylindrical tank, 22.5 m in diameter and 12 m in depth. There are 45 windows (0.6 m in diameter each), which are located on three horizontal levels, corresponding to the different depth, as well as two windows (each has the size of 1.2 У 0.85 m), which enable observation and control of the test and training operations. Volume of a swimming pool is about 500 cubic m. The water undergoes a special treating and allows a video-and photo filming through windows and with the help of the cameras placed in pressurized casing directly under water.

The "Orlan-M" EVA-suit mock-up is an air-conditioned model of a real extra-vehicular suit for operation in outer space. It has one single difference from the real EVA suit - it doesn't have an independent life support system. Air, required for breathing and water for operator's body heat removal are provided by the swimming pool "beach" systems. Operation in the extra-vehicular suit mock-up allows to acquire skills and to master all EVA operations in Earth conditions.

The compartments and blocks of space stations mock-ups ups completely correspond to the exterior of the actual orbital complex.

The air- and- water supply systems are intended for provision of EVA- suit, diving equipment and diving decompression chamber with air and water.

The complex of diving equipment is intended for supporting the operations, which are carried out in neutral buoyancy laboratory, and consists of a SCUBA diving harness, special equipment and decompression tank for the purposes of decompression and medical recompression. Training submersion of the divers in the aerial environment on depth up to 100 m is also available in PDK-2U.

The complex of hyperbaric oxygenation (HOC) is used for both rehabilitation and medical treatment of cosmonauts and operators, who work in difficult conditions. The complex consists of two single-seat medical altitude chambers.

The video- and telemetry information monitoring and processing complex complex records visual and telemetry information about operator's actions and state. It also includes an underwater video-recording complex.

With the help of general and local lighting combination it is possible to simulate the actual EVA light conditions (day and night sectors of the orbit). Lighting system uses lamps with a special spectrum of the light emission, enabling to perform high quality photo- and video filming of EVA operations, which are carried out. The light goes both through the water surface and through underwater windows.