Sixty local teachers, joined by Space Foundation Senior Curriculum Analyst and Program Developer Bryan DeBates, recently participated in an experience of a lifetime. In partnership with the Zero-G Corporation, the Northrop Grumman Foundation offered teachers an opportunity to experience microgravity aboard Zero-G's Boeing 727 aircraft, G-Force One, through the Weightless Flights of Discovery program.
The program utilizes hands-on science workshops in concert with the microgravity flight to help educators share the fun and excitement of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) with their students. To accomplish microgravity, G-Force One performs a series of parabolic maneuvers between 24,000 and 31,500 feet altitude. Each parabola takes ten miles of airspace to perform and lasts approximately one minute from start to finish.
During the flight, teachers experienced 15 of these parabolic maneuvers. The first parabola simulated Martian gravity, which is one-third that of Earth's. The next two maneuvers replicated lunar gravity, one-sixth of Earth's. The final 12 parabolas simulated microgravity, or the amount of gravity that astronauts aboard the space shuttle and the International Space Station experience. Besides enjoying the experience, teachers performed experiments related to microgravity during the final 12 parabolas. These experiments were photographed and videotaped so the teachers can share the experience with their students.
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