Archive for 2013

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Feeling Weightless

Being weightless is certainly the coolest thing I've ever experienced. I expected being in microgravity would feel tranquil like when you float under water. In fact, it was just the opposite! My entire body felt a very tangible 'buzz' that most likely stemmed from the physical sensation of falling and the adrenaline rush.


During one of the parabolas I let my cell phone float and twirl around in space. Due to this highly energetic feeling that you get from being weightless, however, I was convinced that as soon as I let my phone go it would fly away from me as if we were similarly oriented magnets. I was incredibly surprised when, instead of zooming away, it very gently floated away from my hand and floated around.

Being weightless certainly throws your brain for a loop. I quickly acclimated to being weightless and felt a pang of jealousy for astronauts who get to live in zero-G continually for weeks at a time. I hope to do it again someday.

-Joel Mueting

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Flying on the Weightless Wonder

Microgravity is completely indescribable. It is something that must be experienced for oneself. As we entered the first 1.8g pull and I was pressed against the floor of the aircraft, I felt a mixture of fear, excitement, and relief that we had finally made it to this moment. All of this disappeared into nothing but full-blown panic as I felt myself being sucked off the floor and into the air. I held onto the payload for dear life, and my brain struggled mightily to process what it was seeing. Looking towards the front of the plane, I felt as if I was looking downwards (appropriate considering the aircraft's orientation), but I also felt as if the airplane was suddenly flying upside-down. The seconds went by like minutes, and eventually the NASA bluesuits called "30-low", the signal that we were exiting the parabola and beginning to climb for our next run. I fully expected to fall towards the ceiling and bash my head in, but fell to my feet before I laid down for the 1.8g pullout.

Eric's initial reaction to the microgravity environment

My memory of the next several parabolas was very hazy, I remember on what I recall parabola 4, looking over and seeing Joel's phone spinning in the air in front of him. It was at this very moment that I began to appreciate the sensation I was experiencing.

Before I knew it, we were in the turn to begin flying back towards Ellington Field. The rest of the zeros were exciting and fun before we ended the flight with our 2 Lunar parabolas and 2 Martian parabolas. The partials actually felt stranger than the zeros, but I don't really know why. They were just... different.

The experience was absolutely incredible, and something that everybody should do at least once. I hope I get the chance to do it again.

-Eric Sahr

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On Board the G-Force One

Today was the first flight day for the University of Arizona team and that meant myself and Danny Pagano were first up to board the "vomit comet."  We donned our snazzy flight-suits and prepared for the flight with a quick injection of scopolamine (an anti-motion sickness drug.)  After getting full briefing from the RGEFP people and the flight surgeon, we boarded the airplane that would perform the parabolas which simulate weightlessness.


Things happened in quite a rush, it seemed like we had just taken off when they told us to head up to our experiments and get them ready.  We booted up the laptop, got the arduino gravity sensor up and running, and made sure all the cameras were on.  Our experiment only required the lunar and martian gravity parabolas, so for the entire flight until the very end, we got to experience weightlessness without worrying about the experiment.  It was the most amazing experience of my life.  The feeling of being in microgravity is almost indescribable, it's almost as if you're swimming through the air, yet at the same time completely different.  I'm sure it's a sensation I'll never forget (and one I really want to experience again someday.)

It wasn't very hard to get used to, although there were certainly times when I felt my body drifting off in an unplanned trajectory.  Fortunately, I did not vomit at any point in time, but I did start feeling a bit woozy towards the end of the flight (one disadvantage of the injection over the pill is that it wears off quicker.)

If I could go back and redo the flight, there are only two things I would change: make sure I put the right memory card in my camera, and take more of an opportunity to do cool things like flips (even though the RGEFP people look down on that.)  Overall, the experience as a whole -- experiment design, building, testing, and flying-- was a lot of work but very much worth it in the end; it's something I'll never forget and something I hope everyone can take part in someday!

-Andrew McGuckin

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Space Center Houston

Yesterday, the UASEDS Microgravity team got to visit Space Center Houston. On the NASA tram tour, the team members got to see many attractions that the center has to offer.

Panorama view of the Saturn V (pronounced Saturn "five")
This is the Saturn V Rocket, the most powerful rocket ever built and operated. Its design played a major role in successfully transporting and landing American astronauts on the moon during the Apollo missions.

 This Saturn V is one of only three left in existence. It is over 36 stories tall, and it remains the tallest, heaviest, and most powerful rocket ever brought to operational status. To date, the Saturn V is the only launch vehicle to transport human beings beyond low Earth orbit!

Historic Mission Control
This is Historic Mission control. This is the facility where NASA monitored nine Gemini, and all Apollo missions, including the historic Apollo 11 trip to the moon. In fact, from this room the NASA team exercised full mission control of Apollo 11 from launch and liftoff at the Kennedy Space Center to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

 Did you know? There’s more technology in a modern watch than there was in this room in 1969!

Astronaut Memorial Grove
This is the Astronaut Memorial Grove. The grove consists of live oaks and shumard red oaks planted in honor of astronauts who have died. Seven oaks were added to the stand of trees following the loss of the Columbia crew on February 1, 2003.


Today, two team members got to fly on the Zero-G Aircraft with the experiment. Stay tuned for more on their experience!

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What is a Geological Fault?

A fault is a crack in the Earth's crust. The type of motion along a fault depends on the type of fault. In this experiment, the team is studying normal faults.



A normal fault is a geologic fault in which the hanging wall has moved downward relative to the footwall. Normal faults occur where two blocks of rock are pulled apart, as by tension.

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AOD Hangar Tour

Yesterday, the UASEDS Microgravity Team had the chance to see inside NASA's Aircraft Operations Division (AOD) hangar at Ellington Field.

Panorama view of AOD hangar

NASA operates a fleet of T-38 aircraft. The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, twin-engine supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer.

Panorama view of the T-38 Talon

NASA uses the aircraft as a jet trainer for its astronauts! It has a height of about 12 1/2 feet, length of 46 feet, wingspan of 25 feet and its maximum speed is 858 mph.
Team members Joel and Eric (right) view cockpit of the T-38
Inside the cockpit

The instrument panel


Only one more day till flight day!

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2nd Day at Ellington Field

Team members Andrew and Danny plot and drill holes.
After a day of working on the payload, the UASEDS Microgravity team had the chance to visit NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Lab at Johnson Space Center.

Panorama view of the Sonny Carter Training Facility Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory

The Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory consists of the water tank pictured above and its support facilities. This is where astronauts and engineers will perfect the techniques for building and operating the International Space Station (ISS) in the simulated weightless water environment. 

 The water tank is 202 feet long, 102 feet wide and 40 feet, 6 inches deep. It contains 6.2 million gallons of water! 

 Zero gravity is simulated under water by the use of specially weighted space suits creating "neutral buoyancy" conditions for realistic training of astronauts.



Stay tuned for more updates. The team boards the "Weightless Wonder" on Thursday!


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What is a flight parabola?

A flight parabola is a maneuver performed by the plane where the flyer experiences different levels of gravity. Check out the image below to see how the plane travels as it maneuvers during each parabola.


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Work Day

Today, the UASEDS Microgravity team had the chance to visit Houston's premier hackerspace Tx/Rx Labs.


The Tx/Rx Lab members were very welcoming and were able to help the team cut parts needed for their payload.

Tx/Rx member Chris cuts the brackets with a plasma cutter.

Team member Joel Mueting holding the finished angle brackets.
Panorama view of Tx/Rx Labs' work space.


The team members had a great experience and were grateful for all the help. Tomorrow the team heads back to Ellington Field to prepare for the Test Readiness Review!

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Flight Week is HERE!

The team has made it to Houston, Texas and is beyond excited to begin their experience with the Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program.



Everyone is already hard at work on the first day at Ellington Field. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the week!


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Exploring STEM with Lincoln Elementary

On Friday, May 17th, the UASEDS Microgravity team visited Lincoln Elementary School in Mesa, AZ to talk to all the 6th grade students as well as a 5th grade classroom.

 The students got to learn all about current space problems their generation can solve in the future, and the benefits and opportunities that come with a STEM education.

Many students were surprised to learn that with the knowledge they currently have (such as area of a square/rectangle, volume, unit conversion, proportions) and with the knowledge they will continue to gain as they move on to middle school, they can already begin to solve problems:

New NASA Satellite Takes Picture of Salton Sea
The Remarkable Gamma-Ray Burst GRB 130427A
Click the images to find out how these NASA space math problems were solved!



By the end of the presentation, the students gained a greater interest in space exploration and development, and were left with the message to never stop learning, and that with STEM, the sky is never the limit.

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How Many People Are In Space Right Now?

Visit this site to find out! 

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Reaching Out to Future Explorers

Yesterday, the UASEDS Microgravity team visited Leslie Shepherd's 3rd grade class at Lincoln Elementary School in Mesa, AZ to talk about:

STEM

(Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)
Many of the students want to be veterinarians, doctors, and military engineers when they grow up, so they were very excited to learn more about the STEM fields.

 A wide range of topics were discussed with the students including size of the universe, star life cycles, black holes, NASA derived technology, robotics, and the Mars rovers.

 However, the students were particularly interested in the physics of space. Thus, star and planetary formation were heavily explored and discussed in great detail.

 The 3rd graders had a great time and were left inspired to keep up with STEM education in their daily lives and to never stop wondering.

The following videos were shown to the class. Enjoy!





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What Is Microgravity?


Watch this video to learn more!

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Perform Your Own Science Experiment

Do you have some baking soda and vinegar at home? If so, you can make your own....

What you'll need:
  • Baking soda
  • Vinegar
  • A container
  • Paper towels (for clean up)
Instructions:
  1. Place some baking soda into your container.
  2. Pour in some vinegar.
  3. Watch your volcano erupt!

How does it work?
The baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a base, while the vinegar (acetic acid) is an acid. When mixed, they react together to form carbonic acid. It instantly breaks apart into water and carbon dioxide, which creates all the fizzing as it escapes the solution.

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Wringing out Water on the ISS!


Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Chris Hadfield performs a science experiment designed by grade 10 students. 


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What is the RGEFP?

RGEFP is NASA's Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program. 

To learn more look no further, and watch this video!


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Reaching Out to Amphi Middle School


Two weeks ago, the UASEDS Microgravity team had an outreach event with Mr. Scott Weiler's engineering class at Amphitheater Middle School.  It was a bright and early morning for the team members who attended, getting to the class at 8AM sharp to talk to the 6th-8th graders about the experiment to be flown, as well as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.)
  
When the team members arrived, they were dismayed to discover that the power point presentation prepared by another member had failed to load.  Not to be discouraged, the duo carried on with an impromptu discussion with the students.  First, a substitute video was found shown (found here) to introduce the concept of STEM fields and a few of the many ways STEM plays a role in everyone's lives.  Following the short film, the presenters gave the class a brief outline of the experiment and how microgravity would be reproduced on board the Vomit Comet. The class was already familiar with the basics of microgravity, thanks to the preparation of Mr. Weiler, who had already excited the class for the visit.  Next, to engage in a bit more of a full class discussion, the students were asked how the experiment related to STEM and which parts related to science, technology, engineering, and math.  The class was quick to point out several aspects of the experiment that were STEM related, such as geology being a big science aspect and the technology involved with the airplane.  

After each portion of STEM was explored in relation to the flight, the kids were given an activity where they were tasked with constructing the tallest building possible solely out of a few sheets of paper, four paperclips, and some tape.  While the students were tasked with a similar project earlier in the semester, this reiteration gave them a chance to apply what they had learned from the first time around and construct an even better building.  It was a close contest, but a winner was declared, and it proved to be the team that worked together the best and stayed on task.  With that, the presenters thanked the teacher and his class, and departed.

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more updates. The team heads to Houston in just over a month!

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