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 To build the NBL, thirty-three 85-foot deep wells will be drilled around the perimeter of the building site, draining the water table to a depth of 40 feet at the location. The pool will be built 30 feet below ground, 30 feet above ground.

Due to the weight of water as the pool is filled, its sides and bottom are designed to flex as the structure settles. The pool may settle as much as two inches. The sides may bow outward as much as a half a foot each.

The pool is designed to flex, but the building surrounding it is not. So special connections and expansion joints have been designed in attachments between the two to allow for the pool's movement. Also, two viewing windows will be in the side of the pool, 15 feet down.

An aircraft carrier-type cutaway in the deck of the pool will allow mockups to be hoisted from a storage area below the floor to the deck. Four small cranes will be located along the edges of the pool to lower astronauts or objects into the water.

The NBL is designed to allow multiple training activities to be done at once. For example, a shuttle crew and a Freedom crew can train underwater at different spots in the pool simultaneously.

A 32,000 square-foot wing on the building will house offices, mechanical equipment, changing areas and technical support areas. A future wing on the opposite side of the building is designed to accommodate a balcony viewing area 15 feet above the pool's deck.

The NBL will be built at the corner of Avenue B and 2nd Street, and is projected to cost from $30 million to $40 million. An invitation for bids on the project is scheduled for September, Roeh said. A contract will be awarded in December, with groundbreaking following soon after. After the NBL is finished and operational, the WETF will remain in a standby mode for one year. After that, its future is uncertain.

"The most exciting time for me will be when they're pouring the concrete for the pool bottom and walls," Roeh said. "And it will also be the most critical."

NASA photos available to illustrate this release include S90-38712; S89-20030; S90-44689; and S90-44690. They may be obtained by contacting the JSC Still Photo Library at (713) 483-4231.