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Dropping In a Microgravity Environment

    NASA Drop Tower Competition for High-School-Aged Student Teams

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    Summary of DIME 2004

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    A behind the scene view of the DIME web cast at the top level of the drop tower just before the experiment is dropped. The NASA moderator (left) is interviewing a team advisor.

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    The team from Felix Varela Senior High School in Miami, Florida pause outside the drop tower.

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    Two Felix Varela team members test the data system of their combustion experiment with a small flame near the thermocouples.

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    A view inside the combustion chamber of the Felix Varela team's experiment.

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    The team inspects the final installation of the candle and thermocouples.

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    The Felix Varela team analyzes video and thermocouple data after their third experiment drop.

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    The Felix Varela team take a break from the action to pose with their experiment.

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    The Archbishop Hoban High School team pauses near the drop tower.

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    The Archbishop Hoban High School team discusses which acoustic sample to use for the next drop.

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    The Archbishop Hoban High School team installs the new sample for the next drop.

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    The Archbishop Hoban High School team analyzes data with their NASA mentors.

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    The Archbishop Hoban High School team pauses while mounting their experiment in the drop tower Education Rig before the second drop.

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    The Sycamore High School team poses outside after their drop tower tour.

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    The Sycamore High School team fills their pressure tank prior to their second drop.

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    The Sycamore High School team experiment pressure bottle, pressure gauge, and water lines are clearly visible.

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    The Sycamore High School team poses with their experiment after their second drop.

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    The Sycamore High School team analyzes the video data from their experiment after their third drop.

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    The Troy Athens High School team poses outside after their drop tower tour.

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    The Troy Athens High School team experiment is ready to go for its first drop.

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    The Troy Athens High School team is ready to move their experiment into the level 5 staging area for loading into the drag shield.

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    A happy Troy Athens High School team after their mechanism worked on the second drop.

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    The Troy Athens High School team analyzes their video data of water droplets in microgravity.

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    On Wednesday evening, the student teams participated in a SCUBA orientation at their hotel pool.

    The Dropping In a Microgravity Environment (DIME) high-school team competition conducted DIME Drop Days on April 20 - 22, 2004 at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) 2.2-Second Drop Tower. The four participating high-school student teams brought their experiments to GRC and operated them in the drop tower just as regular NASA and academic researchers accomplish their research goals.

    The DIME 2004 selected experiments and their teams were:

    • Acoustic Levitation in Microgravity
      Advisor: Mr. Randy Solsman
      Archbishop Hoban High School
      Akron, Ohio
    • Candles Flame Behavior in Microgravity
      Advisor: Mr. Bachmeyer
      Felix Varela Senior High School
      Miami, Florida
    • Fluid Projectiles in Microgravity
      Advisors: Ms. Cynthia Parrott & Mr. Russel Pinkerton
      Sycamore High School
      Cincinnati, Ohio
    • Water "Drops"
      Advisor: Ms. Jennifer Guenther
      Troy Athens High School
      Troy, Michigan

    All of the teams' experiments were operated in the drop tower. Similar to projects conducted by university and NASA researchers, there were surprises in the operations and results for all teams' experiments. Operational difficulties were experienced in each of the experiments but the teams analyzed the problem and developed corrective actions. Each team made modifications to their experiment and procedures over the course of the drops that each team accomplished.

    The Drop Days activities in the drop tower were web-cast so the sponsoring schools, the students' parents, and other interested people and organizations could observe the activities of the teams in real time. During the web cast, the students were interviewed and explained their team, their experiment, and their future career goals. The activities of installing the experiment into the facility drag shield, preparing the facility for the drop, the release of the experiment, and the fall down the drop tower were web-cast. These activities were then followed by the students, their advisor, and the team's NASA mentor examining the video data for the web audience.

    During the DIME Drop Days, the students also participated in microgravity workshops, a NASA GRC facility tour, and a SCUBA training session at their hotel pool. The SCUBA session was arranged as a simulation of astronaut neutral buoyancy training for spaceflight extra-vehicular activity (EVA). Underwater, each DIME student team constructed a PVC-pipe octagon which simulated a space station hatch opening. The team members then swam through the opening to accomplish the goals set by the SCUBA instructors.

    DIME is a school-year-long activity where a team is formed to develop an experiment concept and write a proposal for accomplishing the experiment. GRC microgravity scientists and engineers select the top four proposals for those teams to further develop and build their experiment. When completed, the experiments are sent to GRC for operation in the drop tower. NASA provides travel funds for four student team members and one adult advisor from each team to visit GRC for the three-day DIME Drop Days and to operate their experiment. DIME 2004 was the fourth year for DIME and was the second year as a nation-wide program.

    The DIME WWW page is located at this URL:
    http://microgravity.grc.nasa.gov/DIME.html

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