Experiments in areas such as weapons effects, evaluating hazards and safety issues, and basic science are conducted at SRI's remote test site facility by very experienced Poulter Laboratory engineering and analytical support staff.
The site is available for use on commercial, foreign government, and U.S. government contracts. Five separate explosive firing areas are active year-round and supported by long-term staff.
The test site receives additional support from SRI headquarters in Menlo Park, California. Consulting physicists, engineers, and technicians from Poulter Laboratory and other R&D groups visit regularly to collaborate with and guide staff in achieving experimental goals.
Experiments performed at the site vary widely. Simple experiments can be conceived, designed, and conducted in a day to obtain urgent information for a client, or complex experiments can be designed, fabricated, and conducted over months. Some experiments may entail participants from a team of agencies and contractors, using many instrument channels and test articles, which are custom-built at SRI or elsewhere. The most common experiment is a precision test to validate computer codes by obtaining reliable data under well-defined conditions. Experiments are also conducted to evaluate specific client systems and provide expert guidance for overall system optimization.
The 480-acre site is fully developed, with permanent buildings, roads, and utilities, including commercial electrical power, running water, and telephone lines. On-site support for experiments is provided by these resources:
- Machine shop
- Welding shop
- Carpenter shop
- Earth-moving equipment
- Large inventory of hardware, equipment, and material
Accommodations include temperature-controlled office space, meeting rooms, a kitchen, and showers.
