Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Maryland Gaithersburg World's Largest Deadweight Machine

World's Largest Deadweight Machine

The U.S. government built the million-pound stack of steel during the Space Race.

Gaithersburg, Maryland

Added By
Elliot Carter
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Riggers on the stack.   Jennifer Lauren Lee/NIST
The machine.   Jennifer Lauren Lee/NIST
The weights.   Jennifer Lauren Lee/NIST
Sledgehammer adjustments.   Jennifer Lauren Lee/NIST
Riggers moving one of the weights.   Jennifer Lauren Lee/NIST
The machine.   National Institute of Standards and Technology/Public Domain
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

It costs around $10,000 per pound to lift an object into space. With that kind of price tag, it’s important everything works on the first attempt. For any rocket launch to be a success, the force generated by the rocket has to be known and controllable, but with rockets routinely generating force measured in the Meganewtons, obtaining an accurate measurement is a herculean challenge.

Enter the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) deadweight machine, a three-story, million-pound stack of steel disks that helps calibrate the technology that makes this later achievement possible. It's the largest machine of its kind in the world.

The NIST deadweight machine is used to calibrate devices called load cells that are used for measuring large forces, such as a rocket's thrust or an airplane wing's deflection. This astounding accuracy is a result of the process of comparison that yields each 50,000-pound weight. It starts with the official American kilogram (also housed at NIST). Then, larger weights are compared using incredibly precise balances.   

The deadweight machine was built in 1965 during the heart of the Space Race. It operated continuously for 50 years until it was taken offline to be recalibrated in 2015. That entire process ended in 2016, and today it is once again fully operational, providing precise measurements for the U.S. government and the commercial aviation industry.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology considers its deadweight machine a national treasure. 

Related Tags

Strange Science Science Government Space Exploration Machines Technology Aircraft World's Largest

Community Contributors

Added By

Elliot Carter

Published

August 29, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2016/06/million-pound-deadweight-machine-officially-open-business
  • http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/05/20/477926381/how-do-you-lift-a-million-pounds-of-stainless-steel-very-carefully
  • http://www.engineering.com/AdvancedManufacturing/ArticleID/12323/Worlds-Largest-Deadweight-Machine-Completes-16-Month-Overhaul.aspx
  • https://history.nasa.gov/presrep00/pages/doc.html
  • https://www.nist.gov/pml/pml-working-you/ready-take-thanks-nists-million-pound-deadweight-machine
World's Largest Deadweight Machine
100 Bureau Drive
Gaithersburg, Maryland
United States
39.134193, -77.218462
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

U.S. National Prototype Kilogram

Gaithersburg, Maryland

miles away

Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory

Gaithersburg, Maryland

miles away

Nike Missile Site W-92

Gaithersburg, Maryland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg

Maryland

Places 5

Nearby Places

U.S. National Prototype Kilogram

Gaithersburg, Maryland

miles away

Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory

Gaithersburg, Maryland

miles away

Nike Missile Site W-92

Gaithersburg, Maryland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg

Maryland

Places 5

Related Places

  • An aerial view of FAST

    Pingtang County, China

    The Eye of Heaven

    The largest radio telescope in the world searches for extraterrestrial life from the remote limestone peaks of southern China.

  • Examining coils that reduce plasma instabilities in the quest for controlled nuclear fusion using Z Machine.

    Albuquerque, New Mexico

    The Z Machine

    The most powerful laboratory radiation source in the world pulses with 1,000 times the electricity of a lightning bolt.

  • Cosmosphere.

    Hutchinson, Kansas

    Cosmosphere

    The world’s largest combined collection of U.S. and Russian aircraft got its start in a poultry building.

  • MPTA-098 with Pathfinder and its previous companion MPTA-ET.

    Huntsville, Alabama

    MPTA-098

    A propulsion engine testbed that paved the way for the Space Shuttle launch sits without recognition at this rocket center.

  • Model of Skylab outside Esperance Museum.

    Esperance, Australia

    Skylab’s Remains

    A tiny museum in Esperance, Australia, displays a bunch of space debris from NASA’s Skylab.

  • The world’s largest air-insulated Van de Graaff generator demonstrates the power of electricity.

    Boston, Massachusetts

    World's Largest Air-Insulated Van de Graaff Generator

    The massive machine creates cracking displays of indoor lightning.

  • Merlin Satellite.

    Cornwall, England

    Goonhilly Earth Station

    Arthur, Merlin, and Guinevere are among the largest and oldest satellite dishes on the planet.

  • The ‘electric dynamo’ book conveying apparatus.

    Washington, D.C.

    Library of Congress Book Conveyor Tunnel

    A fantastic array of trays and cables once whisked books over to the Capitol at 600 feet per minute.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.