Drop towers equipped with catapults, such as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallturm_Bremen | FallTurm Bremen]], can provide over 9 seconds of microgravity.  Drop shafts drilled deep into the ground, such as JAMIC[^JAMIC drop shaft, Kami-sunagawa, Hokkaido http://microgravity.com/tutorial-obtaining-page2.html^] [^"Research under Microgravity Environment" Hokkaido National Industrial Research Institute http://www.hniri.go.jp/chap2/gra-st-e.html^], have provided up to 10 seconds.  At up to 3 experiments per day[^"Catapult Details - Bremen Drop Tower", ZARM Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity^], it might be possible to perform about half a minute worth of microgravity tests and exercises per day, at the high-end facilities.  There are other, shorter-duration facilities available in Australia[^QUT microgravity facility, Brisbane http://www.bee.qut.edu.au/research/projects/microgravity/facility.jsp^], in the U.S.[^2.2 second drop tower, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH  http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/drop/^] [^Zero Gravity Research Facility (5 sec drop), NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/zerog/^] [^Marshall Space Flight Center Dynamic Test Stand Drop Tube Facility - reportedly mothballed, narrow (26 cm) diameter, no container, destructive testing only http://science.nasa.gov/ssl/msad/dtf/tube.htm^] (including a 1-second drop for assessing fuel slosh in scale models of spin-stabilized craft[^Applied Dynamics Laboratory, Portland OR http://www.fuelslosh.com/ADL/DROP_TEST.html^]), France[^CERUM - Département d'études des Matériaux, Grenoble - drop tube, containerless, presumably destructive, metallurgical orientation http://conferences.esa.int/00a06/abstracts/206.html^] and Japan.[^Micro-Gravity Laboratory of Japan (MGLAB),Kawai, Izumi-cho, Toki City, Gifu Pref http://www.mglab.co.jp/index_e.html^]

Drop towers equipped with catapults, such as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallturm_Bremen | FallTurm Bremen]], can provide over 9 seconds of microgravity.  Drop shafts drilled deep into the ground, such as JAMIC[^JAMIC drop shaft, Kami-sunagawa, Hokkaido http://microgravity.com/tutorial-obtaining-page2.html^] [^"Research under Microgravity Environment" Hokkaido National Industrial Research Institute http://www.hniri.go.jp/chap2/gra-st-e.html^], have provided up to 10 seconds.  At up to 3 experiments per day[^"Catapult Details - Bremen Drop Tower", ZARM Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity^], it might be possible to perform about half a minute worth of microgravity tests and exercises per day, at the high-end facilities.  There are other, shorter-duration facilities available in Australia[^QUT microgravity facility, Brisbane http://www.bee.qut.edu.au/research/projects/microgravity/facility.jsp^], in the U.S.[^2.2 second drop tower, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH  http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/drop/^] [^Zero Gravity Research Facility (5 sec drop), NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/zerog/^] [^Marshall Space Flight Center Dynamic Test Stand Drop Tube Facility - reportedly mothballed, narrow (26 cm) diameter, no container, destructive testing only http://science.nasa.gov/ssl/msad/dtf/tube.htm^] (including a 1-second drop for assessing fuel slosh in scale models of spin-stabilized craft[^Applied Dynamics Laboratory, Portland OR http://www.fuelslosh.com/ADL/DROP_TEST.html^]), France[^CERUM - Département d'Études des Matériaux, Grenoble - drop tube, containerless, presumably destructive, metallurgical orientation http://conferences.esa.int/00a06/abstracts/206.html^] and Japan.[^Micro-Gravity Laboratory of Japan (MGLAB),Kawai, Izumi-cho, Toki City, Gifu Pref http://www.mglab.co.jp/index_e.html^]

%lframe% http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/Zero_Gravity_Facility_-_GPN-2000-001454.jpg/120px-Zero_Gravity_Facility_-_GPN-2000-001454.jpg | [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Research_Center#Facilities | A NASA zero-g lab]]

%rframe% http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Bremen_fallturm.jpg/240px-Bremen_fallturm.jpg | [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallturm_Bremen | FallTurm Bremen]]

Drop towers equipped with catapults, such as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallturm_Bremen | FallTurm Bremen]], can provide over 9 seconds of microgravity.  Drop shafts drilled deep into the ground, such as JAMIC[^JAMIC drop shaft, Kami-sunagawa, Hokkaido http://microgravity.com/tutorial-obtaining-page2.html^] [^"Research under Microgravity Environment" Hokkaid National Industrial Research Institute http://www.hniri.go.jp/chap2/gra-st-e.html^], have provided up to 10 seconds.  At up to 3 experiments per day[^"Catapult Details - Bremen Drop Tower", ZARM Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity^], it might be possible to perform about half a minute worth of microgravity tests and exercises per day, at the high-end facilities.  There are other, shorter-duration facilities available in Australia[^QUT microgravity facility, Brisbane http://www.bee.qut.edu.au/research/projects/microgravity/facility.jsp^], in the U.S.[^2.2 second drop tower, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH  http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/drop/^] [^Zero Gravity Research Facility (5 sec drop), NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/zerog/^] [^Marshall Space Flight Center Dynamic Test Stand Drop Tube Facility - reportedly mothballed, narrow (26 cm) diameter, no container, destructive testing only http://science.nasa.gov/ssl/msad/dtf/tube.htm^] (including a 1-second drop for assessing fuel slosh in scale models of spin-stabilized craft[^Applied Dynamics Laboratory, Portland OR http://www.fuelslosh.com/ADL/DROP_TEST.html^]), France[^CERUM - Département d'Études des Matériaux, Grenoble - drop tube, containerless, presumably destructive, metallurgical orientation http://conferences.esa.int/00a06/abstracts/206.html^] and Japan[^Micro-Gravity Laboratory of Japan (MGLAB),Kawai, Izumi-cho, Toki City, Gifu Pref http://www.mglab.co.jp/index_e.html^]

Drop towers equipped with catapults, such as the Bremen Drop Tower, can provide over 9 seconds of microgravity.  Drop shafts drilled deep into the ground, such as JAMIC[^JAMIC drop shaft, Kami-sunagawa, Hokkaido http://microgravity.com/tutorial-obtaining-page2.html^] [^"Research under Microgravity Environment" Hokkaid National Industrial Research Institute http://www.hniri.go.jp/chap2/gra-st-e.html^], have provided up to 10 seconds.  At up to 3 experiments per day[^"Catapult Details - Bremen Drop Tower", ZARM Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity^], it might be possible to perform about half a minute worth of microgravity tests and exercises per day, at the high-end facilities.  There are other, shorter-duration facilities available in Australia[^QUT microgravity facility, Brisbane http://www.bee.qut.edu.au/research/projects/microgravity/facility.jsp^], in the U.S.[^2.2 second drop tower, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH  http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/drop/^] [^Zero Gravity Research Facility (5 sec drop), NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/zerog/^] [^Marshall Space Flight Center Dynamic Test Stand Drop Tube Facility - reportedly mothballed, narrow (26 cm) diameter, no container, destructive testing only http://science.nasa.gov/ssl/msad/dtf/tube.htm^] (including a 1-second drop for assessing fuel slosh in scale models of spin-stabilized craft[^Applied Dynamics Laboratory, Portland OR http://www.fuelslosh.com/ADL/DROP_TEST.html^]), France[^CERUM - Département d'Études des Matériaux, Grenoble - drop tube, containerless, presumably destructive, metallurgical orientation http://conferences.esa.int/00a06/abstracts/206.html^] and Japan[^Micro-Gravity Laboratory of Japan (MGLAB),Kawai, Izumi-cho, Toki City, Gifu Pref http://www.mglab.co.jp/index_e.html^]

[[Project Persephone]] will require some way to validate its designs for [[telebots]], [[inflatable space structures]], and perhaps other mechanisms in orbiting [[exovivaria]], under the most realistic conditions possible on Earth.  At certain scales, and for operations not requiring too much time, drop tower experiments might suffice, especially if there is some way to brace the units under test as they are rapidly decelerated, so that testing is non-destructive.  With appropriate bracing and sequencing, it might be possible to manually practice some kinds of [[telebots | telebotic]] operations, and study the behavior of some kinds of automated equipment, over several drop tower runs.

Drop towers equipped with catapults, such as the Bremen Drop Tower, can provide over 9 seconds of microgravity.  Drop shafts drilled deep into the ground, such as JAMIC[^JAMIC drop shaft, Kami-sunagawa, Hokkaido http://microgravity.com/tutorial-obtaining-page2.html^] [^"Research under Microgravity Environment" Hokkaid National Industrial Research Institute http://www.hniri.go.jp/chap2/gra-st-e.html^], have provided up to 10 seconds.  At up to 3 experiments per day[^"Catapult Details - Bremen Drop Tower", ZARM Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity^], it might be possible to perform about half a minute worth of microgravity tests and exercises per day, at the high-end facilities.  There are other, shorter-duration facilities available in Australia[^QUT microgravity facility, Brisbane http://www.bee.qut.edu.au/research/projects/microgravity/facility.jsp^], in the U.S.[^2.2 second drop tower, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH  http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/drop/^] [^Zero Gravity Research Facility (5 sec drop), NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/zerog/^] [^Marshall Space Flight Center Dynamic Test Stand Drop Tube Facility - reportedly mothballed, narrow (26 cm) diameter, no container, destructive testing only http://science.nasa.gov/ssl/msad/dtf/tube.htm^] (including a 1-second drop for assessing fuel slosh in scale models of spin-stabilized craft[^Applied Dynamics Laboratory, Portland OR http://www.fuelslosh.com/ADL/DROP_TEST.html^]), France[^CERUM - Département d'Études des Matériaux, Grenoble - drop tube, containerless, presumably destructive, metallurgical orientation http://conferences.esa.int/00a06/abstracts/206.html^] and in Japan[^Micro-Gravity Laboratory of Japan (MGLAB),Kawai, Izumi-cho, Toki City, Gifu Pref http://www.mglab.co.jp/index_e.html^]

Drop towers equipped with catapults, such as the Bremen Drop Tower, can provide over 9 seconds of microgravity.  Drop shafts drilled deep into the ground, such as JAMIC[^JAMIC drop shaft, Kami-sunagawa, Hokkaido http://microgravity.com/tutorial-obtaining-page2.html^] [^"Research under Microgravity Environment" Hokkaid National Industrial Research Institute http://www.hniri.go.jp/chap2/gra-st-e.html^], have provided up to 10 seconds.  At up to 3 experiments per day[^"Catapult Details | Bremen Drop Tower", ZARM Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity^], it might be possible to nearly 30 seconds worth of microgravity tests and exercises per day.  There are other, shorter-duration facilities available in Australia[^QUT microgravity facility, Brisbane http://www.bee.qut.edu.au/research/projects/microgravity/facility.jsp^], in the U.S.[^2.2 second drop tower, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH  http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/drop/^] [^Zero Gravity Research Facility (5 sec drop), NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/zerog/^] [^Marshall Space Flight Center Dynamic Test Stand Drop Tube Facility - reportedly mothballed, narrow (26 cm) diameter, no container, destructive testing only http://science.nasa.gov/ssl/msad/dtf/tube.htm^] (including a 1-second drop for assessing fuel slosh in scale models of spin-stabilized craft[^Applied Dynamics Laboratory, Portland OR http://www.fuelslosh.com/ADL/DROP_TEST.html^]), France[^CERUM - Département d'Études des Matériaux, Grenoble - drop tube, containerless, presumably destructive, metallurgical orientation http://conferences.esa.int/00a06/abstracts/206.html^] and in Japan[^Micro-Gravity Laboratory of Japan (MGLAB),Kawai, Izumi-cho, Toki City, Gifu Pref http://www.mglab.co.jp/index_e.html^]

Drop towers equipped with catapults, such as the Bremen Drop Tower, can provide over 9 seconds of microgravity.  Drop shafts drilled deep into the ground, such as JAMIC[^JAMIC drop shaft, Kami-sunagawa, Hokkaido http://microgravity.com/tutorial-obtaining-page2.html^] [^"Research under Microgravity Environment" Hokkaid National Industrial Research Institute http://www.hniri.go.jp/chap2/gra-st-e.html^], have provided up to 10 seconds.  At up to 3 experiments per day, it might be possible to nearly 30 seconds worth of microgravity tests and exercises per day.[^"Catapult Details | Bremen Drop Tower", ZARM Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity^]  There are other, shorter-duration facilities available in Australia[^QUT microgravity facility, Brisbane http://www.bee.qut.edu.au/research/projects/microgravity/facility.jsp^], in the U.S.[^2.2 second drop tower, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/drop/^] [^Zero Gravity Research Facility (5 sec drop), NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/zerog/^] [^Marshall Space Flight Center Dynamic Test Stand Drop Tube Facility - reportedly mothballed, narrow (26 cm) diameter, no container, destructive testing only http://science.nasa.gov/ssl/msad/dtf/tube.htm^] (including a 1-second drop for assessing fuel slosh in scale models of spin-stabilized craft[^Applied Dynamics Laboratory, Portland OR http://www.fuelslosh.com/ADL/DROP_TEST.html^]), France[^CERUM - Département d'Études des Matériaux, Grenoble - drop tube, containerless, presumably destructive, metallurgical orientation http://conferences.esa.int/00a06/abstracts/206.html^] and in Japan[^Micro-Gravity Laboratory of Japan (MGLAB),Kawai, Izumi-cho, Toki City, Gifu Pref http://www.mglab.co.jp/index_e.html^]

Drop tower - a facility used for achieving microgravity by dropping (or in some cases tossing) an experiment. ''Drop shafts'' are usually evacuated.  ''Drop tubes'' usually don't have an experiment container.

Drop towers equipped with catapults, such as the Bremen Drop Tower, can provide over 9 seconds of microgravity.  At up to 3 experiments per day, it might be possible to perform up 27 seconds worth of microgravity tests and exercises per day.[^"Catapult Details | Bremen Drop Tower", ZARM Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity^]  There are other, shorter-duration facilities available in Australia[^QUT microgravity facility, Brisbane http://www.bee.qut.edu.au/research/projects/microgravity/facility.jsp^], in the U.S.[^2.2 second drop tower, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH  http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/drop/^] [^Zero Gravity Research Facility (5 sec drop), NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/zerog/^] [^Marshall Space Flight Center Dynamic Test Stand Drop Tube Facility - reportedly mothballed, narrow (26 cm) diameter, no container, destructive testing only http://science.nasa.gov/ssl/msad/dtf/tube.htm^] (including a 1-second drop for assessing fuel slosh in scale models of spin-stabilized craft[^Applied Dynamics Laboratory, Portland OR http://www.fuelslosh.com/ADL/DROP_TEST.html^]), France[^CERUM - Département d'Études des Matériaux, Grenoble - drop tube, containerless, presumably destructive, metallurgical orientation http://conferences.esa.int/00a06/abstracts/206.html^] and in Japan[^Micro-Gravity Laboratory of Japan (MGLAB),Kawai, Izumi-cho, Toki City, Gifu Pref http://www.mglab.co.jp/index_e.html^] [^JAMIC drop shaft, Kamisunagawa, http://microgravity.com/tutorial-obtaining-page2.html^]

Drop towers equipped with catapults, such as the Bremen Drop Tower, can provide over 9 seconds of microgravity.  At up to 3 experiments per day, it might be possible to perform up 27 seconds worth of microgravity tests and exercises per day.[^"Catapult Details | Bremen Drop Tower", ZARM Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity^]  There are other, shorter-duration facilities available in Australia[^QUT microgravity facility, Brisbane http://www.bee.qut.edu.au/research/projects/microgravity/facility.jsp^], in the U.S.[^2.2 second drop tower, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH  http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/drop/^] [^Zero Gravity Research Facility (5 sec drop), NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/zerog/^] [^Marshall Space Flight Center Dynamic Test Stand Drop Tube Facility - reportedly mothballed, narrow (26 cm) diameter, no container, destructive testing only http://science.nasa.gov/ssl/msad/dtf/tube.htm^] (including a 1-second drop for assessing fuel slosh in scale models of spin-stabilized craft[^Applied Dynamics Laboratory, Portland OR http://www.fuelslosh.com/ADL/DROP_TEST.html^]), France[^CERUM - Département d'Études des Matériaux, Grenoble - containerless, presumably destructive, metallurgical orientation http://conferences.esa.int/00a06/abstracts/206.html^] and in Japan[^Micro-Gravity Laboratory of Japan (MGLAB),Kawai, Izumi-cho, Toki City, Gifu Pref http://www.mglab.co.jp/index_e.html^] [^JAMIC, Kamisunagawa, http://microgravity.com/tutorial-obtaining-page2.html^]

Drop tower - a facility used for achieving microgravity by dropping (or in some cases tossing) an experiment, usually in a container.  Also known as Drop Tube.

Drop towers equipped with catapults, such as the Bremen Drop Tower, can provide over 9 seconds of microgravity.  At up to 3 experiments per day, it might be possible to perform up 27 seconds worth of microgravity tests and exercises per day.[^"Catapult Details | Bremen Drop Tower", ZARM Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity^]  There are other, shorter-duration facilities available in Australia[^QUT microgravity facility, Brisbane http://www.bee.qut.edu.au/research/projects/microgravity/facility.jsp^], in the U.S.[^2.2 second drop tower, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH  http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/drop/^] [^Zero Gravity Research Facility (5 sec drop), NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/zerog/^] [^Marshall Space Flight Center Dynamic Test Stand Drop Tube Facility - reportedly mothballed, narrow (26 cm) diameter, no container, destructive testing only http://science.nasa.gov/ssl/msad/dtf/tube.htm^] (including a 1-second drop for assessing fuel slosh in scale models of spin-stabilized craft[^Applied Dynamics Laboratory, Portland OR http://www.fuelslosh.com/ADL/DROP_TEST.html^]), France[^CERUM - Département d'Études des Matériaux, Grenoble - containerless, presumably destructive, metallurgical orientation http://conferences.esa.int/00a06/abstracts/206.html^] and in Japan[^Micro-Gravity Laboratory of Japan (MGLAB),Kawai, Izumi-cho, Toki City, Gifu Pref http://www.mglab.co.jp/index_e.html^]

Drop tower - a facility used for achieving microgravity by dropping (or in some cases tossing) an experiment, usually in a container.

Drop towers equipped with catapults, such as the Bremen Drop Tower, can provide over 9 seconds of microgravity.  At up to 3 experiments per day, it might be possible to perform up 27 seconds worth of microgravity tests and exercises per day.[^"Catapult Details | Bremen Drop Tower", ZARM Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity^]  There are other, shorter-duration facilities available in Australia[^QUT microgravity facility, Brisbane http://www.bee.qut.edu.au/research/projects/microgravity/facility.jsp^], in the U.S.[^2.2 second drop tower, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH  http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/drop/^] [^Zero Gravity Research Facility (5 sec drop), NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/zerog/^] [^Marshall Space Flight Center Dynamic Test Stand Drop Tube Facility - reportedly mothballed, narrow (26 cm) diameter, no container, destructive testing only http://science.nasa.gov/ssl/msad/dtf/tube.htm^], including a 1-second drop for assessing fuel slosh in scale models of spin-stabilized craft[^Applied Dynamics Laboratory, Portland OR http://www.fuelslosh.com/ADL/DROP_TEST.html^], France[^CERUM - Département d'Études des Matériaux, Grenoble - containerless, presumably destructive, metallurgical orientation http://conferences.esa.int/00a06/abstracts/206.html^] and in Japan[^Micro-Gravity Laboratory of Japan (MGLAB),Kawai, Izumi-cho, Toki City, Gifu Pref http://www.mglab.co.jp/index_e.html^]

Drop towers equipped with catapults, such as the Bremen Drop Tower, can provide over 9 seconds of microgravity.  At up to 3 experiments per day, it might be possible to perform up 27 seconds worth of microgravity tests and exercises per day.[^"Catapult Details | Bremen Drop Tower", ZARM Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity^]  There are other, shorter-duration facilities available in Australia[^QUT microgravity facility, Brisbane http://www.bee.qut.edu.au/research/projects/microgravity/facility.jsp^], in the U.S.[^2.2 second drop tower, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH  http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/drop/^] [^Zero Gravity Research Facility (5 sec drop), NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/zerog/^] [^Marshall Space Flight Center Dynamic Test Stand Drop Tube Facility - reportedly mothballed, narrow (26 cm) diameter, no container, destructive testing only http://science.nasa.gov/ssl/msad/dtf/tube.htm^], including a 1-second drop for assessing fuel slosh in scale models of spin-stabilized craft[^Applied Dynamics Laboratory, Portland OR http://www.fuelslosh.com/ADL/DROP_TEST.html^], France[^CERUM - , Grenoble http://conferences.esa.int/00a06/abstracts/206.html^] and in Japan[^Micro-Gravity Laboratory of Japan (MGLAB),Kawai, Izumi-cho, Toki City, Gifu Pref http://www.mglab.co.jp/index_e.html^]

Drop towers equipped with catapults, such as the Bremen Drop Tower, can provide over 9 seconds of microgravity.  At up to 3 experiments per day, it might be possible to perform up 27 seconds worth of microgravity tests and exercises per day.[^"Catapult Details | Bremen Drop Tower", ZARM Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity^]  There are other, shorter-duration facilities available in Brisbane, Australia[^QUT microgravity facility http://www.bee.qut.edu.au/research/projects/microgravity/facility.jsp^], in the U.S.[^2.2 second drop tower, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH  http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/drop/^] [^Zero Gravity Research Facility (5 sec drop), NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/zerog/^] [^Marshall Space Flight Center Dynamic Test Stand Drop Tube Facility - reportedly mothballed, narrow (26 cm) diameter, no container, destructive testing only http://science.nasa.gov/ssl/msad/dtf/tube.htm^], including a 1-second drop for assessing fuel slosh in scale models of spin-stabilized craft[^Applied Dynamics Laboratory, Portland OR http://www.fuelslosh.com/ADL/DROP_TEST.html^], and in Japan[^Micro-Gravity Laboratory of Japan (MGLAB),Kawai, Izumi-cho, Toki City, Gifu Pref http://www.mglab.co.jp/index_e.html^]

Drop towers equipped with catapults, such as the Bremen Drop Tower, can provide over 9 seconds of microgravity.  At up to 3 experiments per day, it might be possible to perform up 27 seconds worth of microgravity tests and exercises per day.[^"Catapult Details | Bremen Drop Tower", ZARM Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity^]  There are other, shorter-duration facilities available in Brisbane, Australia[^QUT microgravity facility http://www.bee.qut.edu.au/research/projects/microgravity/facility.jsp^], in the U.S.[^2.2 second drop tower, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH  http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/drop/^] [^Zero Gravity Research Facility (5 sec drop), NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/zerog/^], including a 1-second drop for assessing fuel slosh in scale models of spin-stabilized craft[^Applied Dynamics Laboratory, Portland OR http://www.fuelslosh.com/ADL/DROP_TEST.html^], and in Japan[^Micro-Gravity Laboratory of Japan (MGLAB),Kawai, Izumi-cho, Toki City, Gifu Pref http://www.mglab.co.jp/index_e.html^]

Drop tower - a facility used for achieving microgravity by dropping (or in some cases tossing) an experiment container.

Drop towers equipped with catapults, such as the Bremen Drop Tower, can provide over 9 seconds of microgravity.  At up to 3 experiments per day, it might be possible to perform up 27 seconds worth of microgravity tests and exercises per day.[^"Catapult Details | Bremen Drop Tower", ZARM Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity^]  There are other, shorter-duration facilities available in Brisbane, Australia[^QUT microgravity facility http://www.bee.qut.edu.au/research/projects/microgravity/facility.jsp^], in the U.S.[^2.2 second drop tower, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH  http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/drop/^][^Zero Gravity Research Facility (5 sec drop), NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/zerog/^], including a 1-second drop for assessing fuel slosh in scale models of spin-stabilized craft[^Applied Dynamics Laboratory, Portland OR http://www.fuelslosh.com/ADL/DROP_TEST.html^], and in Japan[^Micro-Gravity Laboratory of Japan (MGLAB),Kawai, Izumi-cho, Toki City, Gifu Pref http://www.mglab.co.jp/index_e.html^]

Drop tower - a facility used for achieving microgravity by dropping (or in some cases tossing) an experiment container in a vacuum.

[[Project Persephone]] will require some way to validate its designs for [[telebots]], [[inflatable space structures]], and perhaps other mechanisms in orbiting [[exovivaria]], under the most realistic conditions possible on Earth.  At certain scales, and for operations not requiring too much time, drop tower experiments might suffice, especially if there is some way to brace the units under test as they are rapidly decelerated, so that testing is non-destructive.  With appropriate bracing and sequencing, it might be possible to manually practice some kinds of teleoperations, and study the behavior of some kinds of automated equipment, over several drop tower runs.

Drop towers equipped with catapults, such as the Bremen Drop Tower, can provide over 9 seconds of microgravity.  At up to 3 experiments per day, it might be possible to perform up 27 seconds worth of microgravity tests and exercises per day.[^"Catapult Details | Bremen Drop Tower", ZARM Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity^]

[^#^]