Wow!
Microgravity is awesome!
My first words as I floated toward the top of the cabin for the very first time was "Whoa! Oh, my goodness!"
There is so much to tell and words are not sufficient. I guess I'll start by saying that I don't have any awesome zero G pictures to share with you yet. Why? Because I simply was having so much fun during the zero G segments I forgot. And the only pictures I did remember to take looked like this:
The good news is that NASA had 5-6 people on board whose sole purpose was to take video and still shots of us in zero G. They came by several times and I remember posing for multiple shots. Also, we had Heather from Marshall Space Center taking pictures AND our NASA mentor, Ashley, taking video of just us. I think between all those people, I'm pretty well covered. We'll have access to those pics in the near future at which point I'll post them here. In the mean time, I want to document everything I remember.
We loaded the experiment onto the aircraft yesterday and got everything ready so that all we had to do is climb on board and take off in the morning. I'm reminded of that primary song that goes "Saturday is a special day, its the day we get ready for Sunday..." Although, it was technically a Monday going into Tuesday the premise still holds. So much preparation goes into the flight in the days that lead up to it that everything just can't be done without careful planning! We also were issued our fight suits (with our very own name tags!) and watched (quite possibly) the most cheesy video on avoiding motion sickness. In addition to all that, we had to go through Physiological training last week involving lots of lectures, a Pressure Chamber experience to become acquainted to our own personal symptoms of Hypoxia (lack of oxygen) and pass an exam of that knowledge. The quote I gave Heather to put on the NASA website is:
“The chamber experience was nothing like I've ever experienced before! I could feel my brain become less effective as time went by. Processing information became unimportant to me as I progressed in my symptoms. I was aware that I knew the information that was being asked of me on the worksheet; however, I was unable to make myself focus and retrieve that information. As time continued, I began to care less and less and eventually gave up and stared blankly into space before being told to put my O2 mask back on. My symptoms mostly consisted of dizziness, blue fingernail beds, apathetic attitude and tunnel vision.” - Me
The morning of the flight we got to Ellington Field and attended a few preflight briefings instructing us on aircraft safety, the correct method to vomit into a bag while in zero G and given our motion sickness meds. The meds are so strong that they document who you say your Designated Driver will be for the remainder of the day.
The aircraft itself is the Boeing 727 configured specifically for zero G flight. The rear of the aircraft has about 6-8 rows of regular seating but then the rest of the craft is outfitted with nothing but padded walls, ceilings and floors. There were very few windows. In fact, the only windows were the windows on the emergency exits. The flight crew actually closed the blinds on the windows in the early part of the flight so that we wouldn't look out the window, see the horizon at a 45 deg angle from what we thought was down and become sick. Near the end of the flight during a 2G stretch I took a gander and was amazed. My body was being pressed directly into the bottom of the aircraft but the horizon was not in the same direction. It was cool!
(The aircraft we flew in - a Boeing 727)
Once on board the aircraft, we took off and started climbing to altitude. Once in the air we were immediately instructed to set-up our experiments. We then were asked if we were a GO/NO-GO for parabolic flight. Once all teams checked in, the pilot took us into a steep climb that created an acceleration of about 1.8 Gs. That means that our bodies felt like they weighed 1.8 times what they weigh on the surface of Earth. I remember being overwhelmed with the anticipation of what was about to happen. And then…
Gravity Stopped!
All of a sudden, I started drifting upwards. It was so unlike anything I've ever experienced before! I was expecting the stomach knot that you experience at the top of a roller coaster but that didn't happen at all! One second I weighed twice as heavy as usual and the next I was drifting toward the ceiling with only the slightest push off. I remember feeling slightly dizzy for a few seconds the first time but the brain learns quick! I remember thinking to myself not to make any sudden movements and to stay calm. After the first parabola I found myself on the opposite side of the cabin after hitting the floor and the ceiling multiple times. I still don't know how it happened!
(The display of the current number of g's the aircraft is under and the parabola number)
*Photo Courtesy of NASA*
The hyper gravity segments were maybe not as exciting as the zero G segments, but they had their own appeal. You could just lay on the floor and relax. Most people laid down to avoid sickness but I found I didn’t have to. I just had to sit still. It was its own kind of fun. On one of the 2G segments I decided I’d like to stay standing just to see what would happen (the flight crew remained standing so I wanted to too!) but I was promptly tapped on the shoulder and told to sit down. They know best and I didn’t want to get sent to the back so I obeyed. I did find out that I was more prone to disorientation when looking around in 2Gs then when we were weightless.
After about 3 parabolas (we experienced 32 total- 30 Zeros, 1 Lunar and 1 Martian) I had a pretty good idea of how to move around. We were able to brace ourselves and begin work on our experiment. The first trials of our experiment went pretty well. We were able to get our systems started with relative ease. We noticed right away that our 2-mass system was not functioning as we had hoped. It was not entering into the second mode rotational mode at all. However, the 1-mass system that was fixed on one end functioned perfectly. Upon inspection of the apparatus on the ground, we found a blob of brass that had been sticking out and interfering with the rotation. We filed it down, however, the following flight showed no improvement.
Initially, I had my hair tied back in a bun with a clip securing it. I decided about the 5th parabola to let loose! I thought I would get a few pics and then put it back because it would get in the way. But once it was down, it was such a surreal feeling of having it float around my head I decided to let it be for the remainder of the flight. Heather told me after the flight that I looked like a mermaid in water. My hair was fluffy and light even compared to the other girls up there. I guess it’s a good thing I got up extra early to wash and blow-dry it!
We also were able to do some pretty awesome demonstrations for our Outreach video. One of the coolest ones I did was letting go of a water bottle and it just staying exactly where I left it. I know it sounds cliché but I really think that was one of my favorite parts of the flight. Inside the water bottle, the liquid stuck to the interior walls. We wanted it to ball up, but I left too much water in it for that to happen. The surface tension was too strong. Also a girl from one of the other teams wore a Supergirl outfit under her flight suit. During the flight she unzipped her flight suit pulled out the cape and did a flying pose. I can’t wait to get a view of that on the photos in a few weeks!
I quickly learned that if I reached up at the beginning of each zero G segment I would save myself from bumping my head on the ceiling. It became second nature such that even if I had strapped myself down in preparation for the zero G I would reach up when gravity disappeared. It must have looked rather funny because here I was, strapped to the ground with my hands reaching for the sky for no reason!
I always had about half a second in the beginning of each parabola of disorientation that was borderline dizziness. It always cleared up quick and I NEVER felt sick. Every time we topped the parabola I thought to myself, “The enemy gate is down!” from Ender’s Game and things came back into focus. I do remember thinking about the 24th parabola that my stomach was there. But it wasn't a nauseous feeling or even a queasy feeling. I can't really describe it. It was just an awareness that my stomach existed. Perhaps it was the wonderful drugs they gave us. As our flight surgeon said, "Better living through chemistry." I heard that 4 people got sick on the flight. I never saw any of them because I was having too much fun. I do remember seeing the flight doctor (Dr. Fitzpatrick) rush by with blue medical gloves on. I can only assume he was on his way to help someone.
I mentioned earlier the benefits of the motion sickness meds. But here are some disadvantages. You crash, and you crash hard after the first few hours. I had to take a quick nap in the afternoon! Also, I've had a VERY dry mouth all day. Which means I'm probably the most hydrated I've been in ages since I'm guzzling water to trick my brain into thinking my mouth is just fine. They warned us that this was a common side effect and as such, they provided hard candies for the flight. I grabbed a bunch of Wintergreen Lifesavers and had one in my mouth almost the entire flight.
The flight crew was very helpful. There were a couple times where I lost control and couldn't get my feet down. The flight crew just very calmly guided my feet back down and made sure that we were all safe. Kudos to them! They did a great job!
As we were flying back to the field, I was very sad. I know that the flight could've been twice as long and it still would have been too short. I would venture to say that the flight crew has the 2nd best job in the world.
(Heather, Kristian and I after our flight)
In general, it was the most fun thing I have ever done. It was WAY worth the effort I put into getting into the program. I'd do it all over again if I were still in school. In fact, maybe I'll go back and get another undergrad degree just so I do it again! I'm sure my dad would appreciate that. :)
As I write this, its been over 12 hours since I got back on the ground. I'm sad that I probably won't ever get to experience that again in my lifetime. There are moments in life that our life altering events: kindergarten, HS Graduation, the first kiss, marriage. I truly believe this fits nicely into that category.
*Photo Courtesy of NASA*
