Heading Home!

Mrs. Fortuna is launching in Zero-G.

THE SOLON SPRINGS RGO TEAM.

Solon Springs is on the map! Friday was spent closing up the RGO Experience. All 10 teams had to present an Exit Interview. This presentation had to be shared with the other teams, NASA Education staff, RGO coordinators, and NES representatives. We needed to share who we were, what school we represented, information on our experiment, along with the results of our experiment. The presentation needed to be no longer than 10 minutes. Mrs. Osterhues had quite a bit of fun the night before adding sound bits to our PowerPoint. She will share it with everyone when we get back.

These are some pictures taken by professional cinematographers hired by NASA. They get to fly on all of the flights and document everyone's experience. What about that for a job!?! So far, just our chamber experience and Mrs. Fortuna and Heidi's flight are posted. By next week, Mrs. Osterhues, Mr. Alhberg, and Mrs. Lesneski's flight will be added. You can view all of the pictures on zerog.jsc.nasa.gov. Choose the education link and our pictures should come up. You can right click any to save them on to your desktop.

WOW! Somersaults in the air!

Even though being away for 12 days from family and friends has been difficult, this has been a chance of a lifetime for our school district. Many of the people we have come in contact with have made us realize that with hard work and determination anything can be achieved. Even a small school in Northern Wisconsin can overcome the unknown barriers and make a mark! Our goal is to bring this positive experience back to Solon Springs and have IT make a lasting impact on as many people as possible. Thanks NASA!

Back Stage Passes to Mission Control!

Today was the first day where we finally felt like we could relax a bit more and take in what has happened over this past week. It has been the ride of a life time. We spent part of the day touring JSC (Johnson Space Center). We felt like we had a backstage pass to JSC. We started out touring building 7(MCC) which held mock ups of the ISS, Space Shuttle, and a variety of capsules, robots and vehicles used in the space program. Scientists, engineers, and astronuats would use the life size mock ups to simulate what would happen if there was fire and smoke emergencies, engineers need to find a place to put over 2 million parts on the space shuttle. They used these mock-ups to test whether the solar panels they take to the ISS will fit in the cargo bay.

Mrs. Fortuna is standing in front of a prototype of the new lunar transport vehicle that will take the place of the old lunar space vehicle.


Mrs. Osterhues was shaking the hands of our friendly astronuat suit. We had a great presentation by a space suit design engineer who works in the Space Suit and Crew Survival Systems department. He and others are developing ways to make a space suit suitable for walking on the moon. Flexibilty is the key as well as preventing moon dust damage. We got to see all the parts and pieces that create a living space for astronauts while they complete an eight hour space walk.




Next we went to building 30. This is the nerve center for America's Manned Space Program. This was sooooo cool! We got to sit in the viewing room of Mission Control for the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. We also got to see the Apollo Mission Operations Control Room #1. It was used for launching all of the Apollo Missions. It is now preserved as a National Historic Landmark. This is where you heard, "Houston, we have problem." Actual consoles from this room were shipped to California for the movie "Apollo 13" with Tom Hanks.

Free Falling (Again) Day 2

Here is what we saw during our DLN with the students. What a GREAT bunch of kids!


We were so excited to talk to everyone back in Solon Springs. The DLN took place in a hanger at Ellington Field.



Everyone who was flying today lined up and marched in a single file line to the Zero-G aircraft. The anticipation we felt for our upcoming flight can not be put into words!

Here we are on the Weightless Wonder (Now known to us as the Vomit Comet) as we are on our way up to an altitude of 25,000 feet. The hardware for the experiment had to be stored until we reached altitude. Then we could get out of our seats and get everything set up. Notice all of our happy faces!

We had 10 minutes to get everything set up. We had a few mechanical difficulties; the bolt to connect the launcher came out. Duct tape became a very good friend of ours. Mr. Ahlberg is trying to site in the crossbow for our at horizon launches. Mrs. Lesneski's job was to assist Mr. Ahlberg, while Mrs. O. set-up the cameras so we had video of the experiment.

At 2-G, we couldn't believe the force our body experienced. Trying to lift your leg or arm became a weightlifting excursion. Notice how Mrs. Lesneski looks plastered to the floor. It was recommended that we keep our heads stable by either lying down or leaning against the cabin wall. No sudden movements were advised!

The data collected gave us some surprising results. When we get back to school, we will analyze all of our data and reach some conclusions. Don't you love science!?!?!


Here is a video of our flight lifting off from Ellington Field. Mrs. Fortuna is a wonderful videographer!

Free Falling!

Mrs. Fortuna and Heidi after the zero gravity flight. Wow! What an experience that cannot be accurately described. This picture was taken at about 11:15 am as we were leaving the plane after our two hour flight. We were able to collect some very interesting data that we can't wait for you to be able to analyze.


The Zero G (Weightless Wonder) is on its way to do 30 parabolas producing about 22 seconds of microgravity each. We also were able to do one lunar (one-sixth of earth's gravity), and one martian (one-third of earth's gravity) parabolas. During the 1.8 G portion of the flight we were to be seated or lying down. The force on the body was extreme. No data collected here.

Heidi and Mrs. Fortuna were amazed at how difficult it was to actually launch our projectiles while floating around in a zero G environment. The 22 seconds went very quickly and we were able to only launch one, at most, during each parabola. The feeling of being weightless was unbelievable! It doesn't get much better than this.

One thing that surprised us was when the plane was leaving the force of 1.8 G how quickly we were floating uncontrollably about the cabin. It was difficult not to bump into people and experiments. You could not tell which way was up or down, or where your feet should be. There was much screaming during the first zero G as none of us were expecting what we got. It reminded me of swimming without water.

Mrs. Fortuna, being rather short, and not able to hold onto the ceiling for support, found that using a floor strap around her foot helped her to remain in a "heads up" position so she could work on the experiment.

Here we are loading the plane at about 9:15 am. Five of the ten experiments were loaded today, as well as some NASA human test subject experiments. There were many video/camera people on board and our cameras took some great footage. You will love to see this amazing video once we are back in the " warm" and "sunny" Wisconsin climate.

Mr. Ahlberg, Mrs. Lesneski, and Mrs. Osterhues will have much work to do tomorrow on their flight. We hope they will collect data in both the lunar and martian parabolas. We also think that they may be able to launch at least one projectile during the 1.8 G portion of the flight. Only minor modifications were made today after our flight. They will have a fantastic time on their zero G flight on Wednesday!

Monday's Preparations for Flight

Here she is! The Zero G 747 aircraft that we will be flying in on Tuesday and Wednesday. Today was spent getting our experiment ready for flight.


We are on the aircraft loading our equipment. You can see the target in the back, and the launcher will be placed 12 feet in front of target. Right behind our target is the cockpit. So cool. If you look closely at the walls, you can see that they are padded for everyone's protection!!!



Here we are walking on the tarmac to load our hardware on the plane. It is a lovely 67 degrees today. As we look left, we can see Tomahawks, and beyond that is Homeland Security. Definitely no pictures taken looking left. Nor do we dare pass the red line between Ellington Field and the Coast Guard. We would be taken away in handcuffs! Not sure if someone would come and get us! How cool is that!




Here we are in Hanger 900 with our mentor Heidi. She has been a great resource along the way. She is an engineer for NASA and works in Mission Control for the International Space Station! What a fascinating job she has. She will be flying on the Tuesday with Mrs. Fortuna.





One of the main focuses after we got our hardware ready to go, was an intense TRR (Test Readiness Review). This was a group of NASA employees that are specialized in Safety during flight. We were interviewed by this large group and had to prove that our experiment and hardware would be safe in this reduced gravity environment. As you can see in the picture, there were over 30 people involved with this TRR. We were a bit intimidated, but thank goodness we passed. The only suggestion made was that we wear safety goggles for the person standing near the target. One of the Engineers from this group made a special point to introduce himself. Evidently he has been through Solon Springs on his way to the Boundary Waters!

We were also issued our green flight suits today! We even got a name tag to attach to our suit. Stay tuned for pictures.

The last briefing we had reviewed how to avoid getting sick during our flight. Somersaults and turning head from side to side quickly, were not advised. We also need to make sure we do not eat greasy foods or citrus before the flight.

Friday's Adventures

Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory tour

After our Chamber Flight

Preparing for Chamber Flight

WOW!

Class Begins!

WOW! What an incredible day. Today we met at Rocket Park and took a shuttle to Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center building 30 (Where Mission Control is) to begin our SEVEN hours of Physiological Training. Retired military personnel familiarized us with the physiological stresses encountered at decreased barometric pressure and how we can successfully overcome these stresses.

The first hour briefed us on how the layers of atmosphere effect our respiration and circulation. When flying in altitudes below 10,000 ft. our body can adapt well with only minor problems occurring. For our RGO Experience, we will be flying at an altitude between 29,000 and 39,000 feet. So........we need to recognize how our body may react in case of an emergency.

Our next hour discussed symptoms and treatment for hypoxia and hyperventilation. Hypoxia is a state of oxygen deficiency in the blood, tissues, and cells sufficient to cause an impairment of mental and body functions. The point stressed here was that each person's body will react differently; it is important to recognize and begin treatment immediately.

Trapped gas and decompression sickness was the focus of our third hour. Very entertaining! At the same time, understanding how we can prevent unnecessary discomfort during our ascend and descent will be necessary. Valsalva is an important technique we learned to decrease the build up of pressure in our inner ears during descent. Valsalva is the technical term for tilting your head back, pinching your nose, and blowing out. Yawning and swallowing also helps to open the eustachian tube releasing the expanding gases. The possibility of our teeth exploding on the ascent is one more level of concern. Again, the worst case scenario was explained to us. Belching, passed flatus, and massaging the abdominal area is appropriate treatment for trapped gases in other areas! :)

Our morning came to a close with information on spatial disorientation and motion sickness. Our eyes provide us with 80% of our equilibrium while our vestibular apparatus provides us with 10%. Because of this, any abrupt changes will give us an inability to accurately orient ourselves with respect to the earth's horizon. It is highly suggested that while on our flight, we do NOT look out of the window.

In preparation for the altitude chamber flight, oxygen equipment and emergency procedures were taught. We were trained in how to read the pressure demand regulators and various gauges. We were fitted for our helmets, pressure demand masks (Just like Tom Cruise in Top Gun!), along with oxygen and communication connectors.

The Chamber Flight ended our day! The purpose of this "flight" was for us to experience the reduced barometric pressure changes that occur at an altitude of 25,000 feet. We were to practice the principles and techniques presented in the classroom to make the corrective measures for ourselves. We went in to the same altitude chamber used by NASA astronauts and fighter pilots with all of our equipment. We spent thirty minutes breathing 100% oxygen to denitrogenate our bodies. We then ascended to 25,000 ft. at a rate of 5,000 feet a minute. (Keep in mind that we were stationery.) At 25,000 ft., we removed our masks to experience 5 minutes of hypoxia. We went in expecting the worst! We pictured ourselves grasping for air while in reality the effects were not as dramatic. The symptoms we experienced were totally individualized. Mr. Ahlberg felt lightheaded, Mrs. Lesneski had blurred vision, Mrs. Fortuna had tingling hands, and Mrs. O. felt overheated.

Our day ended with a multiple choice test! Yes, we had to take a test that tied all of these concepts together. Don't worry. We all passed it! :)

This had to be one of our top five experiences that we have ever had! Incredible! Later that evening, we were exhausted. We put our bodies through emotional and physical stress that was well worth it!

PROJECTING PROJECTILES AT ELLINGTON FIELD

Our first mishap! While modifying the launcher, Mr. Ahlberg modified his finger! WOW! Little did he know that he would need to file a three page "Mishap Form" in order to get a band aid. Don't worry.....he is fine. The mission will continue.

After getting our clearance badges, we were briefed on safety, media, and other logistical issues by NASA personnel. As we worked on our experiment, the plane we will be flying in sat alongside of us.

Heidi, our NASA mentor, is as excited as we are to fly our awesome experiment. Mrs. Fortuna will be flying with Heidi on Tuesday, Mrs. Lesneski and Mrs. O. will fly on Wednesday. We found out that Mr. Alhberg DOES get to fly. He will be flying on Wednesday.

Houston, we've landed!

Here are some pictures of the students collecting ground data before we left.

The flights were uneventful. We had our first meeting with the other teams this evening. Our experiment rocks! We need to be at Ellington Field early tomorrow morning to get our security clearance badges, then it is off to work. We have tomorrow to set up our experiment.

Humid! Humid! Humid! But we are not complaining.........

Preparations

The preparations have been going on for months and the time is finally near for four teachers from Solon Springs to take flight from Johnson Space Center. This is a once in a lifetime experience for both students and teachers alike. The students at Solon Springs have been collecting, displaying and presenting data. Stay tuned for more information.....