SVS Subwoofer Simulates Jet Engine for Payload Delivery Project with NASA

It’s not often an audio company gets the opportunity to work on a project with NASA that has potential implications for the International Space Station (ISS), so when SVS was asked to lend its expertise and subwoofer technology to aid a project to help transfer sensitive payloads, we jumped.

The opportunity arose from the NASA HUNCH program, an innovative partnership between NASA and educational institutions, like Council Rock High School South in Holland, PA. The school required a powerful subwoofer to replicate the vibrational energy created by rockets during take-off so they could test a special chamber that would reduce or eliminate vibrations for highly sensitive cargo.

SVS Director of Product Management and lead engineer, Smith Freeman, collaborated with NASA and Council Rock South student Kenneth Meier to identify the frequency and SPL requirements needed to create the simulated vibrations. Based on this conversation, an SVS PB-1000 subwoofer was sent for advanced testing.

The video below describes the project and how the SVS PB-1000 subwoofer is used for testing.

This video shows an SVS PB-1000 subwoofer playing at select frequencies also used by NASA and SpaceX for testing. The sonic energy it creates allows the students to test different materials and design techniques to see which is most effective at reducing vibrations in the inner chamber.

Florence Gold, NASA HUNCH Implementation Project Manager, explained the value of the project further, “The idea of a vibration chamber that would be used to send fragile payloads to space started about 4 years ago. Council Rock’s team has been working on a chamber that will fit in a Single Stowage Locker to protect a fragile payload. This is extremely important work, because the Space Station is complete and is functioning as a national laboratory for research that will benefit both people on earth and space exploration, and it could not have been completed without the SVS subwoofer for testing. The International Space Program Office needs to have a vibration isolation chamber to bring delicate payloads to and from the space station. The HUNCH students and SVS are helping to make this a reality.”

Currently, the vibration chamber is under review by NASA for use on future trips to the ISS. Everyone at SVS is rooting for Council Rock High School South and we’re proud to be part of this important project.