NASA has a Stargate

This is either a Stargate at the NASA Ames Research Center or the remnants of a 14 foot wind tunnel now being torn down at the facility. NASA Watch has more.
Link (Thanks, Matt Daniels!)

[#1 posted by DrStrabismus , December 19, 2007 9:04 AM]

Actually the first ring of The Machine: http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/15/movie-gadget-friday-the-machine-from-em-contact-em/

[#2 posted by OM , December 19, 2007 9:07 AM]

...Just a word of caution for those reading NASAWatch: It's run by Keith Cowing, who's had a really major mad-on for NASA since he was fired in the 90's for what he claims were "unjustified reasons". When he started NW, he actually ran it as a news and info site, but has since allowed it to degenerate into a smear rag that hypes on everything NASA does in a negative light. He even goes so far as to twist semantics and misinterpret photos much in the same way Richard Hoaxland claims a hair on a negative is a 300km-long space station.

Over on the sci.space groups, we've learned to take Keith's rantings not with a grain of salt, but the whole damn box. It's suggested that everyone reading this do the same.

[#3 posted by yurei , December 19, 2007 9:55 AM]

What's missing from the above picture? The touching phrase "Let me show you it." Bucking internet memes is a dangerous precedent.

[#4 posted by dwsn , December 19, 2007 10:13 AM]

There's also one in Detroit.

[#5 posted by Maurik , December 19, 2007 11:35 AM]

Confirmed

[#6 posted by sardonicbastard , December 19, 2007 11:55 AM]

This brings back memories! I worked at NASA Ames about 10 years ago, and even at that time most of the wind tunnels had been decomissioned with the exception of the 80x120 foot and 12 foot pressurized tunnel, which was pretty neat. The entire circuit of the tunnel was under pressure, which allowed simulations of much higher airspeeds than were possible in a regular wind tunnel. It too had a circular cross section, and I thought this "stargate" was it when I first saw it.

[#7 posted by Harrkev , December 19, 2007 2:30 PM]

I live in Colorado Springs, and we really do have a stargate! Near downtown, in a public park, there is a giant ring that looks rather similar to the stargate, and is easily visible from I-24. It rotates once every 10-15 minutes, and drops a sheet of wate from the top. It is not really a circle, but looks like little over one loop from a really big spring (helical in shape), but it still looks like the design was inspired by the TV show. Too bad I couldn't find a picture on GIS. On summer days you can find loads of children playing in the water there.

[#8 posted by hjo3 , December 19, 2007 5:51 PM]

Don't they know stargates are the Air Force's domain?

[#9 posted by reptiles_and_samurai , December 19, 2007 6:37 PM]

Ooh, ooh, I'm gonna go kidnap James Spader and force him through it to see what happens!

[#10 posted by tim bennett , December 19, 2007 6:41 PM]

The University of New South Wales has a Stargate, too.

It's actually a clock - you can see the small discs on its edges - but legend has it some engineers sprayed a firehose on it during the unveiling and it hasn't worked since.

[#11 posted by Chocolatey Shatner , December 19, 2007 8:17 PM]

Are you sure it's not just the setup for a giant goatse picture?

[#12 posted by BBComments , December 20, 2007 10:34 AM]

Photos of Colorado Springs 'stargate' at:

http://www.springsgov.com/Page.asp?NavID=6871

foot of page