NASA Invites Students To A Weightless Challenge
CLEVELAND -- NASA is hosting two national science competitions that
challenge student teams to develop and prepare a microgravity
experiment. Proposals are due Nov. 1.
"Dropping In a Microgravity Environment," or DIME, is the competition
for high school student teams. "What If No Gravity?" or WING, is the
competition for student teams in sixth through ninth grades.
Both competitions are open to student teams across the United States
and Puerto Rico. Teams may be formed from any type of organization or
club, such as a science class, a group of friends, a scout troop or a
youth group. Each team must have an adult advisor, such as a teacher,
parent or technical consultant.
A panel of NASA scientists and engineers will evaluate and select the
top-ranked proposals by Dec. 1. The winning teams then will design
and build the experiments that will be conducted in the 2.2 Second
Drop Tower at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. When an
experiment is "dropped" into the 79-foot tower, it experiences
weightlessness, or microgravity, for 2.2 seconds. Researchers from
around the world use this tower to study the effects of microgravity
on physical phenomena such as combustion and fluid dynamics, and to
develop new technology for future space missions.
The top four DIME teams will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to in
March to conduct their experiments, review the results with NASA
personnel and tour Glenn's facilities. All DIME participants visiting
NASA must be U.S. citizens.
Four additional DIME teams and up to 30 WING teams will be selected to
build their experiments and ship them to Glenn to be drop-tested by
NASA. These experiments and the resulting data will be returned to
the teams so they can prepare reports about their findings.
For more information about entering NASA's DIME and WING student team
competitions, visit:
http://spaceflightsystems.grc.
DIME and WING competitions involve students in the areas of science,
technology, engineering and research. Students also may acquire
skills in analytical thinking, teamwork and English composition --
skills that can be applied toward future engineering or scientific
careers. These competitions and similar educational programs help
NASA attract and retain students in science, technology, engineering
and mathematics, which are disciplines critical to the agency's
future missions.
NASA's student drop experiment competitions are sponsored by the
Teaching From Space Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The office manages educational opportunities that use the unique
environment of microgravity and human spaceflight pursuits.
For more information about NASA's education programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/education
For information about NASA's Glenn Research Center, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/glenn
Source: NASA
