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Granite Oil Slip Table
Photograph number P-2784Ac

In 1963, spacecraft vibration tests were conducted in the Environmental Laboratory at JPL.  A slab of granite, coated in oil, provided a smooth and stable base for the magnesium slip plate, test fixture, and Ranger 6 spacecraft mounted on it.  There were vibration exciters (shakers) on each end, capable of more than 25,000 pounds of force.  The horizontal fixture at left was used for low frequency vibration testing, and the equipment was capable of testing along all three spacecraft axes.

During the 1960s, Ranger, Surveyor, and Mariner spacecraft were developed, built, and tested at JPL.  Because of the heavy use, a similar but smaller test fixture was used for vibration tests on spacecraft components and assemblies.  Building 144 still contains test facilities, but this equipment was removed and the room now contains an acoustic chamber.

Other photos of this test equipment, with and without spacecraft attached, can be seen in an online photo album. (JPL internal only.  Log in with JPL username and password, and scroll down to P-1853 and P-1891).  For more information about the history of JPL, contact the JPL Archives for assistance.  [Archival and other sources: TR32-353, TR32-241, 1963 telephone book, 1964 map, floor plans.]