Thu, Jan 14, 2010
Tower Drop Simulates Microgravity
NASA has selected teams of middle school and high school
students to test their science experiments in microgravity
competitions that simulate the microgravity in space. High school
students will participate in "Dropping In a Microgravity
Environment," or DIME, and students in sixth through ninth grades
in "What If No Gravity?" or WING.
DIME and WING challenge students to design and build a
microgravity science experiment that is tested in a 2.2 second drop
tower at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. While in free
fall, the students' experiments will experience microgravity
conditions, as if they were on the International Space Station.
Four high school student teams were selected in the nationwide
DIME competition. NASA will provide funding for up to four students
and one adult advisor from each team to come to Glenn in April 2010
to conduct its experiment and review the results with Glenn
engineers and scientists. While at the center, they will tour Glenn
facilities and participate in workshops. Teams were selected from
the following high schools:
- Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, IL
- Plattsburgh High School in Plattsburgh, NY
- St. Ursula Academy in Toledo, OH
- Tualatin High School in Tualatin, OR
Additional high school student teams selected in the DIME
competition will ship their science experiments to NASA to be
tested in the drop tower. The experiments and the resulting data
will be returned to the teams so they can prepare reports about
their findings. Additional DIME teams were selected from the
following high schools:
- Columbus High School in Columbus, GA.
- Emerson Preparatory School in Washington, DC
- Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, IL.
- Northbrook High School in Houston, TX
- Troy Athens High School in Troy, MI. (4 teams)
Student teams in sixth through ninth grades were selected for
the WING competition. Each team will ship its experiment to Glenn
for testing. The experiments and the resulting data will be
returned to the teams so they can analyze the experiment results
and submit a written report back to NASA. One student team not
affiliated with a school was selected from within the community of
Basking Ridge, N.J. Additional teams were selected from the
following schools:
- Crestwood Middle School in Mountaintop, PA. (2 teams)
- Dunstan Middle School in Littleton, CO.
- Gate of Heaven School in Dallas, PA. (2 teams)
- Good Shepherd Academy from the Diocese of Scranton in Kingston,
PA.
- Hanover Area School District in Hanover Township., PA. (2
teams)
- Hazleton Area School District in Drums, PA. (2 teams)
- Lake-Lehman School District in Lehman, PA.
- Northwood Elementary School in Mooresville, IN.
- Smith Middle School in Troy, MI.
- Tunkhannock Area Middle School in Tunkhannock, PA.
- Wyoming Area Secondary Center in Exeter, PA.
- Wyoming Valley West School District in Kingston, PA. (2
teams)
These and other NASA educational programs help the agency
attract and retain students in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics, disciplines critical to space exploration. The
Teaching from Space Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in
Houston funds the DIME and WING competitions.
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