Four aerospace engineering majors got a taste of what it's like to be an astronaut last week. Seniors Jamin Greenbaum, Ravi Prakash, Matthew Marek and former UT student Jeremiah Marichalar took a $10,000 flight onboard NASA's KC-135 airplane, used to simulate weightlessness for astronauts in training. It was also used to make the actors in Apollo 13 float as if in outer space.
"It's as close to being an astronaut as you might get - being able to float," Prakash said.
Becoming an astronaut and working for NASA is the goal of many students in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, he said.
The four students took off from NASA's Ellington Field in Houston April 1 and 2. Jerrod Kogut, an aerospace engineering senior, stayed below as part of the ground crew.
While in the air, the team performed an experiment that could help increase the efficiency of combustion engines, such as those in jets. They did this by exploring the structure of a methane-fed jet flame. When they pulsed sound waves into the flame, it produced fewer pollutants. In March 2002, Greenbaum and two other students performed a similar experiment, which they proposed after NASA selected them to be part of its Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program that began in 1995.
The program offers a chance for undergraduates from 70 universities across the nation to create an experiment that can be done only in reduced gravity. The students performed their experiments onboard the plane as it flew a series of 30 parabolas, each simulating approximately 25 seconds of weightlessness.
"It was much more intelligent and easier this year," said Greenbaum. "Last time we did it the brute force way. We took what we learned last year and applied it to a more complicated, scientific experiment."
When the fall semester began,
Marek said the program gave him the opportunity to apply what he has learned in the past four years.
"It's a life experience," Marek said. "It's your idea. You have to make it happen. You take the classes and the theory, but this gives you a taste of the real thing."
Noel Clemens, an associate aerospace engineering professor, has served as the team's advisor for two years. He said the program offers a unique experience by allowing students to carry their own projects through every stage of development, from an idea to a working experiment to a final study with conclusive results.
"They get to apply their engineering knowledge to a real-world project," Clemens said. "This year's experiment was one of the more complex ones flown on the KC-135. The hands-on experience they gain in making such a system work will prove to be an invaluable part of their education."
Before the three students could fly on the KC-135, NASA required that they undergo physiological training at the Johnson Space Center, in the same facilities used by astronauts before their flights on Tuesday and Wednesday. Training included time in the hypoxia chamber, a small room used to simulate a sudden drop in cabin pressure.
"The training was easier than I thought it would be," Prakash said. "As soon as we took off our masks and were getting less oxygen, some people were acting like they were drunk, but we did not feel the effects as much. Our only real symptom was that we had a slightly hard time understanding the directions on the little test they gave us."
Greenbaum said the experiment ran smoothly without any major problems.
"There were some safety issues, and we designed it with safety features to account for them. They made no suggestions to improve it, though. Everything went really well," he said.
Greenbaum and the rest of his team will spend the rest of this semester sifting through the data they collected from their experiment. They will present their findings to the Department of Aerospace Engineering in two weeks and submit a formal report, which will be used as research material for the department.
"It was an excellent experience," Greenbaum said. "We definitely represented UT extremely well. We had one of the more complicated experiments. We got accolades from the people at NASA for its looks and its performance."
Greenbaum said community outreach and education are important components of NASA's program. Each team is required to make a series of presentations about the program, their experiment and their university department. The team's outreach activities have ranged from activities at elementary schools to university presentations. The team also made a presentation during Explore UT on March 1. Prakash agreed about the importance of educating children about the field of engineering.
"We wish there was outreach like this when we were younger. I felt like at Explore UT, we really did that," he said.
Greenbaum said NASA's investment in the future of space exploration through the program has increased his respect and desire to work for the agency.
"We're right there in the middle of it," he said. "It's special to be sharing something with the astronauts."
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