Applied Research Building
The Applied Research Building (ARB) is a highly specialized, one-of-a-kind, 89,000-square-foot facility that pairs new applied research capabilities with state-of-the-art equipment and technology and brings together several interdisciplinary university programs under one roof.
It will provide regionally unique capabilities for the university, allow for expansion of industry and advanced manufacturing partnerships, and turn research and discovery into practical, real-world solutions that produce societal impact.
The ARB houses the state-of-the-art equipment and technologies to advance research in optics, manufacturing, space exploration, and more. Learn about eight of the building's key facilities for driving forth applied innovations in these areas.
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Thermal Vacuum Chamber
About
While the average temperature on a typical April day in Tucson is about 81 degrees Fahrenheit, temperatures on Mars average about minus 81 degrees. All materials – even aluminum and titanium, both of which are commonly used to fabricate nanosatellites – perform differently under different conditions. Spacecraft and high altitude, balloon-borne, science payloads benefit from testing in the conditions they will operate in after launch. The Thermal Vacuum Chamber (TVC) simulates both the pressure and temperature conditions found in space, as well as the near space environment. This facilitates testing the performance of all components and subsystems prior to launch.
Fast Facts
- The TV chamber can fit objects the size of an entire pickup truck inside of it
- It weighs 40 tons, or roughly 81,000 pounds
- It is 30 feet long
- Normal atmospheric pressure is defined as 1 atmosphere or 760 torr
- The TVC can maintain a vacuum pressure at 5 torr for balloon borne missions, and as low as 1x10-5 torr for space based missions
- The TVC can cool its inner shrouds to -10C for balloon borne missions
- The TVC can cool its inner shrouds to the temperature of liquid nitrogen, or -315°F
- Tests inside the TVC can run from a day to two weeks
Anechoic Chamber
About
This nonreflective, echo-free room is called an anechoic (a-nih-KOH-ik) chamber. The chamber is built with radio-wave-absorbing material applied to the walls, ceiling, and floor. The absorptive material – a carbon-filled foam – is designed to keep sound waves from bouncing. The conditions of the anechoic chamber allow researchers to test satellite antennae for their command, control, and data relay performance.
Fast Facts
- In an anechoic chamber, speech sounds muffled, like when your ears need to pop in an airplane.
- The quietest place on Earth is an anechoic chamber built and owned by Microsoft. The measured noise level is -20.3 decibels, 20.3 decibels below the threshold of human hearing. In it, you can hear the sound of your own beating heart, flowing blood, and grinding bones.
- The almost absolute silence in an anechoic chamber gradually manifests into a ringing in your ears.
- Over time, the lack of reverberation in a room like this causes people to lose their balance.
Laboratory for Advanced and Additive Manufacturing
About
The Laboratory for Advanced and Additive Manufacturing uses state-of-the-art digital fabrication techniques to design and fabricate complex materials with on-demand properties that are not achievable using conventional manufacturing methods. This space enables collaborations among manufacturing experts from the College of Medicine, the James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences, the College of Engineering, and others to be at the forefront of manufacturing advances that embody the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Advanced manufacturing efforts at the University of Arizona focus on defense, space, aerospace and biomedical and communications technology.
Fast Facts
- The university's industry partners in this area include Raytheon, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, and NASA.
- The first printer to create three-dimensional objects appeared in 1983, just a year after the first CD was manufactured.
Imaging Technology Laboratory
About
Under the direction of research professor and astronomer Michael Lesser, the ITL is a world-leading supplier of advanced scientific imaging sensors for visible, ultraviolet, and x-ray light detection. The most common applications for its imaging technologies are in the fields of astronomy, satellite imagery such as Earth observations, and the manufacturing of electronic devices. What's more, the lab has developed and supports camera systems used on telescopes owned and operated by the University. The lab's industry partners include Lockheed Martin, Ball Aerospace and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, while its federal funding agencies include NASA, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense. The lab at ARB is a clean room, meaning it is designed to filter out airborne particles and pollutants like dust, microbes, and aerosols.
Fast Facts
- The ITL was located off campus prior to the opening of the Applied Research Building.
- The lab has delivered more than 4,000 sensors to scientific and industrial imaging communities across the globe.
- The lab has developed and supports camera systems used on telescopes owned and operated by the University.
- Although UV waves are invisible to the human eye, some insects, including bumblebees, can see them.
Want to collaborate with the Imaging Technology Lab?
Contact Mike Lesser:
mlesser@arizona.edu
520-621-4236
Mission Operations Center
About
After launch, spacecraft and balloons must be carefully monitored and commanded from thousands if not millions of miles away. A mission operations center performs this work while a science operations center coordinates the distribution and processing of data. The ARB’s Mission Operations Center equips us with with all the computers, networks, and software needed to control missions from right here in Tucson.
Fast Facts
- University of Arizona faculty Marcia Rieke is the principal investigator for the James Webb Space Telescope’s Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam), and University of Arizona George Rieke is the science team lead for the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). The Mission Operations Center for the JWST is located at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland.
- Lockheed Martin provides the mission operations center for the Arizona-led NASA mission to retrieve material from the surface of an asteroid, OSIRIS-REx under the direction of the NASA mission manager at Goddard Space Flight Center.
- U of A is now one of very few American universities with the capability to provide mission operations support for NASA Class D missions.
The CubeSat Laboratory
About
This laboratory is a dedicated space for the fabrication of nanosatellites, often called “CubeSats,” and small space instruments, which represent the next generation of technology for space exploration and scientific investigation. The lab is designed to maximize reliability of space hardware by providing a clean environment for assembly. A major benefit of miniaturized satellites is cost and schedule efficiency: they are easier to mass produce and have a standard size and shape, commodifying access to space. They are less expensive to build than traditional satellites and, because of their compact size, they often piggyback on rockets carrying other spacecraft.
Fast Facts
- A typical CubeSat is about the size of a toaster, though the smallest are 4-inch cubes weighing less than 3 pounds.
- CubeSats have become increasingly popular in space exploration over the last two decades, with NASA launching its first CubeSat, GeneSat, in late 2006 and now hundreds are launched per year.
- U of A is expected to launch the CatSat CubeSat later this year.
Space Materials Curation Facility
About
The Space Materials Curation Facility will house materials used to differentiate between artificial and natural objects in the Earth-Moon system. The collections include rocket body paint samples, mylar, metals, kapton, solar cells, and similar items used for building and coating satellites and spacecraft, as well as a small representative set of meteorites. Researchers use telescopes on Earth to capture a space object’s spectral signature—the wavelengths of light that bounce off an object’s surface. They use that data to identify what it is (artificial versus natural) and where it came from. This work is important to space traffic management and national security. With nearly 100 missions planned to the moon over the next decade, there is an increased risk of collisions with space debris. Samples curated at the facility will help ensure that use of orbital space between the Earth and moon remains safe, secure, and sustainable.
Fast Facts
- The European Space Agency estimates that there are presently more than 170 million pieces of debris, or “space junk,” (over the size of 1 millimeter) orbiting Earth. Any of these objects would have the ability to cause harm to operational spacecraft.
- Even a one-centimeter object could penetrate the shields on the International Space Station.
High Bay Facility
About
With 40-foot ceilings similar to those found in warehouses, the ARB's high-bay payload laboratory will offer teams of scientists and engineers a dedicated space to assemble high-altitude stratospheric balloons such as the University of Arizona-led, NASA-funded GUSTO mission. These high-altitude balloons are used for critical everyday operations such as providing accurate weather data by measuring and transmitting information on atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind speed. They can also be used for more sophisticated scientific exploration, as in the case of GUSTO, which will send a balloon to near-space, carrying a telescope that will study the interstellar medium – the gas and dust between the stars, from which all stars and planets originate.
Fast Facts
- Balloon-borne astronomy fills an important gap between ground-based observatories and space telescopes by allowing telescopes and other instruments to reach altitudes where they experience less interference from Earth's atmosphere.
- U of A is home to another high bay facility, located at UA Tech Park at The Bridges, which opened in December 2022.
- Each of the letters of the Hollywood sign overlooking Los Angeles, California is roughly as tall as the high bay facility at the ARB.
The Applied Research Building in the News
Featured Coverage
Mission Control: University of Arizona Applied Research Building houses space institute, future endeavors
January 30, 2024
The 89,000-square-foot University of Arizona Applied Research Building expands the university's already considerable research capabilities thanks to state-of-the-art equipment and technology, including a 40-ton thermal vacuum chamber used to replicate the conditions in outer space – the largest of its kind at any university in the world.
The University of Arizona's $85M Applied Research Building opens
Photo by Kelly Presnell
April 7, 2023
The University of Arizona celebrated the grand opening of its Applied Research Building Wednesday. Eight departments among four colleges—including the College of Medicine – Tucson—will have dedicated space there.
As bold and wonderous as space exploration itself
"Radical in design, the building itself is a highly calibrated machine, uniquely suited to house complex and sensitive research demands with optimal performance in its desert environment. "
Largest Thermal Vacuum Chamber at any University in the World Now Operational at University of Arizona
October 3, 2024
The Applied Research Building offers an unmatched environment for spacecraft and instrument testing.
More News Coverage
What Does It Take to Install a 40-Ton Thermal Vacuum Chamber for Space Simulations?The $85 million Applied Research Building (ARB) at the University of Arizona in Tucson was recently recognized by the Design-Build Institute of America as the 2024 Project of the Year. | Read the story |
University of Arizona Launches World's Largest Thermal Vacuum Chamber within Collegiate ResearchNov 12, 2024 The U of A recently unveiled the Applied Research Building's (ARB) Thermal Vacuum (TV) Chamber, the world's largest of its kind housed within a collegiate research facility. Weighing 40 tons and extending 30 feet, the TV Chamber is designed | Read the story |
Transforming research into realitySept 30, 2024 Arizona's public universities leverage Regents’ Grant funding to commercialize innovative technologies, boost state's economy | Read the Story |
World's largest university thermal vacuum chamber now operational at University of ArizonaOct 3, 2024 | Watch the video on KVOA-TV |
Thermal vacuum chamber located at UAOct 3, 2024 News 4 Tucson spoke with Erika Hamden. | Watch the Footage |
Arizona Public MediaApril 6, 2023 Tony Perkins reports for AZPM | |
Arizona Public MediaApril 6, 2023 Paula Rodriguez reports for AZPM | |
New University of Arizona Applied Research Building Furthers Space ResearchApril 23, 2023 The University of Arizona marked the completion of construction and opening of the $85 million Applied Research Building (ARB), a one-of-a-kind advanced research facility that further solidifies and advances the university’s reputation in space research. | |
ARB Video Footage
Video footage by McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. | |
Arizona Daily StarApril 5, 2023 Spectacular photos from the Arizona Daily Star | |
Robert Zimmerman: Behind the BlackApril 6, 2023 "the most fascinating moment during this grand opening tour of the ARB came when I went up to the cubesat laboratory. There, a student [...] described his own cubesat project, aimed at tracking the transits of a known exoplanet in order to demonstrate the capability of cubesats to do such work." | |
Gallery: U of A opens Applied Research BuildingApril 5, 2023 The University of Arizona celebrated the grand opening of its Applied Research Building Wednesday. The event included tours of the new facility, a celebratory event and remarks from University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins, Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation Elizabeth "Betsy" Cantwell, University of Arizona Space Institute Director Tim Swindle, and Associate Vice President for Planning, Design and Construction and University Architect Peter Dourlein. | |
Inside the Applied Research BuildingA two part series about the Applied Research Building Learn about a laboratory for assembling high-altitude balloons, a chamber that simulates conditions in space, an echo-free room for testing antennae performance, ARB's Imaging Technology Laboratory, Mission Operations Center, and Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory. | |
Student-built satellite uses 'beach ball' for an antennaMarch 6, 2023 CatSat is a small satellite carrying a new communications concept – an inflatable antenna – into space. The project provides a rare opportunity for students at the University of Arizona to get hands-on experience with spaceflight technology. | |
University of Arizona's $85M building to advance science, engineering researchJuly 5, 2021 The University of Arizona broke ground on an $85 million Applied Research Building set to bring together several programs under one roof. | |
Construction Begins on U of A's New Applied Research BuildingJune 29, 2021 Construction of the University of Arizona's new $85 million, three-story Applied Research Building began today as crews broke ground on the 89,000-square-foot facility. The new building at the southeast corner of East Helen Street and North Highland Avenue will connect researchers across four colleges and eight departments. | |
UA's Space Program Brings in Big BucksFebruary 9, 2023 An economic impact that rivals the Super Bowl. | |
How University of Arizona students are preparing for careers guiding space missionsJanuary 20, 2021 University of Arizona students are getting their own unmanned satellite ready for launch. | |
University of Arizona opens new research facility dedicated to space scienceApril 9, 2023 "Standing at three stories tall, the facility is expected to continue UA’s research in space science and related fields." | |
KOLD-TV SegmentApril 5, 2023 KOLD-TV Segment ARB Opens | |
KVOA-TV SegmentApril 5, 2023 KVOA-TV Segment ARB Opens | |
The John Bachelor Show
A conversation about the ambitious scope of the Applied Research Building. |
