STUDENT RESEARCH IN MICRO-GRAVITY

NASA’s Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program (RGSFOP) gives undergraduates (both from two-year and four-year schools) the opportunity to propose, design, build, and fly an experiment in micro-gravity. This competitive program allows students the chance to fly an experiment on a specially-equipped KC-135 airplane, also called The Weightless Wonder. This plane flies vertical parabolas in the sky, causing the interior of the plane to alternate between two-gravity and micro-gravity. The free-fall lasts for 20-30 seconds, and the cycle is repeated 30-40 times (hence the other name of the plane – the Vomit Comet). The intent of this paper is to describe my experiences with the RGSFOP in order to promote the unique research experience it gives undergraduates. I will present highlights of my experiences as well as tips for faculty interesting in becoming advisors to this program.

Participation in the program begins with a proposal. In the fall, the student team and their faculty advisor decide on an experiment, requiring a basic understanding of physics in micro-gravity. For acceptance, the proposal needs to be well thought out and researched. The proposal also requires a clear outreach program to be performed by the students. Once the proposal is accepted in December, the work is just beginning. The students build the experiment, being sure to satisfy NASA’s strict safety constraints. They need to submit a review of the safety and strengths of their experiment and perform ground tests in one-gravity. After the equipment itself is deemed safe by NASA, the students spend 1.5 weeks in Houston training and then flying their experiment. After the flight, the students analyze their results (which is often much more difficult than they had originally thought) giving them a better understanding of how scientific research is done. They present their conclusions in a final report to NASA.

Participation in the RGSFOP requires much time and dedication, both by the students and their advisor. The experience, however, was a highlight of my undergraduate career, and the students I have advised found it thoroughly rewarding as well. For more information, visit the RGSFOP website: http://microgravityuniversity.jsc.nasa.gov/.