An accelerometer is attached to a plasma instrument (called PIMS) sensor assembly during a vibration test. Vibration Test Laboratory lead engineer Hadi Navid (left) and PIMS mechanical engineer Erik Hohlfeld wear cleanroom garments to keep the hardware clean and free of biological contaminants while affixing the accelerometer. The device, one of many installed for this test, measures accelerations and, by extension, forces experienced by the PIMS sensor assembly while it is subjected to a simulated launch vibration environment. The PIMS sensor assembly is placed on a vibration table, commonly referred to as a shaker, to perform this test.