Shake, rattle and roll! NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA/Goddard/Debora McCallum)

Engineers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, walked me through their integration and testing facility and put me through a series of tests in preparation for my journey.

Just like Meriwether Lewis needed to train for his expedition, NASA needed to ensure I could withstand the rigors of launch and spaceflight, including extreme changes in temperature, gravitational forces and exposure to elevated amounts of noise – the latter of which required me to stand inside an acoustic test chamber and listen to its large subWOOFer! (Text Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center)

Here I am with Goddard engineer Bill Chambers outside the Space Environment Simulator, a large thermal vacuum chamber that simulates the temperature variations in space. It’s a very clean room, with no dust or dirt. To go inside, I’d have to put on a “bunny suit” like the one Bill is wearing to keep from shedding all over the equipment.

Traveling in the spirit of a Newfoundland dog that became one of the most famous members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Seaman Jr. will enjoy the sights of our home planet from the International Space Station, including amazing views of our national trails, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the National Trails Act and NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration 60th anniversary.

The National Park Service and Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail invite you to learn more about Seaman, Jr.’s space journey! Follow his blog (go.nps.gov/NewfieNews) for special updates every Tuesday to see all of the missions in space and flashbacks to his training adventures at NASA centers and on the national trails.