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.

FMI: http://spaceflightsystems.grc.nasa.gov/DIME.html