![](\"http:\/\/www.esa.int\/var\/esa\/storage\/images\/esa_multimedia\/images\/2017\/02\/entrance_to_hertz_chamber\/16805616-1-eng-GB\/Entrance_to_Hertz_chamber_small.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\nThe doorway out of ESA\u2019s Hertz test chamber, used to test the radio performance of large space antennas, as captured by photographer Edgar Martin.\n<\/p>\n
\nPart of ESA\u2019s technical heart in the Netherlands, the metal-walled \u2018Hybrid European Radio Frequency and Antenna Test Zone\u2019<\/a> chamber is shut off from all external influences.\n<\/p>\n \nIts internal walls are studded with radio-absorbing \u2018anechoic\u2019 foam pyramids, allowing radio-frequency testing without any distorting reflections. In addition, this cladding also absorbs sound \u2013 making Hertz an eerily quiet place to work.\n<\/p>\n \nPortuguese-born Edgar Martins<\/a> has collaborated closely with ESA to produce a comprehensive photographic survey of the Agency\u2019s various facilities around the globe, together with those of its international partners.\n<\/p>\n \nThe striking results were collected in a book and exhibition, entitled The Rehearsal of Space and The Poetic Impossibility to Manage the Infinite<\/a><\/i>.\n<\/p>\n \nCharacteristically empty of people, Martins\u2019 long-exposure photos \u2013 taken with analogue wide film cameras \u2013 possess a stark, reverent style. They document the variety of specialised installations and equipment needed to prepare missions for space, or to recreate orbital conditions for testing down on Earth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \nThe doorway out of ESA’s Hertz test chamber, used to test the radio performance of large space antennas, as captured by photographer Edgar Martin.\n<\/p>\n \nPart of ESA’s technical heart in the Netherlands, the metal-walled ‘Hybrid European Radio Frequency and Antenna Test Zone’<\/a> chamber is shut off from all external influences.\n<\/p>\n \nIts internal walls are studded with radio-absorbing ‘anechoic’ foam pyramids, allowing radio-frequency testing without any distorting reflections. In addition, this cladding also absorbs sound – making Hertz an eerily quiet place to work.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n