Aerospace Industries Association
Look! My Science Teacher is Floating
“Launching our Future” Series….
Spotlight on Northrop Grumman Foundation’s ‘Weightless Flights of Discovery’
By Daphne Dador
I didn’t understand why the Zero-G flight attendant was glaring at me until she pointed at my nametag that was velcroed onto my brand, spanking-new flight suit. 
“You there, is this the first time you’ve flown,” she demanded. I nodded like a fresh-faced freshman on the first day of high school. “Then flip it over,” she barked. “It’s a tradition at NASA that newbie astronauts wear their nametags upside down until after they’ve completed their first flight.” I dutifully fumbled to comply while a streak of terror ran through me, ‘NASA? Astronaut…? Not me!’ I looked at the other brave souls, all school teachers just as excited and nervous as me, boarding the shuttle that would take us to the infamous “Vomit Comet.” I really regretted the Starbucks I had that morning.
On a crisp fall morning not too long ago, I had the opportunity to join 30 math and science teachers on a trip only a few people on this planet ever get to experience. Weightlessness. The ability to flip, soar and levitate free from the earth’s gravitational pull.
Armed with science experiments and school spirit, these teachers defied gravity as part of the Northrop Grumman Foundation’s Weightless Flights of Discovery, a program designed to inspire and prepare kids for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers.
“The role of the Northrop Grumman Foundation is to support education, especially STEM education. Weightless Flights is one of the many programs we support to promote and support STEM education,” explained Cheryl Horn, foundation program manager.
Weightless Flights of Discovery is a teacher training program that provides educators with first-hand experience in the application of math, science and engineering principles aboard microgravity flights, during which they will conduct experiments that test Newton’s Laws of Motion.
Teachers prepare for the flight by participating in a workshop where they design the experiments they plan to execute in lunar, Martian and zero gravity aboard a specially-modified aircraft that creates weightlessness in a similar manner to how astronauts train for space flight. Teachers bring their experiences and in-flight video back to the classroom to incorporate into lesson plans.
As we boarded the plane the excitement in the air was palpable. Since July, when the foundation chose them to participate in a flight, these teachers had been waiting for their chance to experience this moment. I looked on as they prepared their science experiments. We would be doing 15 parabolas, so there would be 15 opportunities to experiment.
When the plane was in position, we were asked to lie on the plane’s floor. As we pulled up for our first parabola, we experienced about 1.8 Gs pressing down on us. I and many of the teachers marveled at how much weight was pressing on us! I couldn’t even lift my hand! Then the plane dipped and our journey of weightlessness began.
For the next half hour the plane was filled with screams of joy, laughter in an almost childlike environment. On the ground we were told that psychologically weightlessness tends to cause people to laugh. Well, our team of ‘zeronauts’ were no exception. It was recess in zero gravity! Teachers dipped, flipped, walked on the ceiling, played catch with a ball, played catch with one another. I gained an even stronger appreciation for our astronauts because controlling yourself in a zero-gravity environment is hard! One little motion and you’re floating in a direction you didn’t intend.
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to capture what was experienced up there, but why take it from me — see what the teachers have to say:
- “Every professional development program I learn something, but from this amazing experience I can actually take what I’ve experienced into the classroom and demonstrate the laws of physics to my students,” said Jennifer Bertolino a middle school teacher from Chesapeake, Va.
- “When I talk about gravity to my students, I can tell them all about it because I experienced it,” said Enri Whitney-Johnson, an elementary school teacher from Washington, D.C.
- “Amazing, just amazing,” said high school teacher Anna Swenty of Narrows, Va.
Enough said!
To learn more about the Weightless Flights of Discovery program visit: http://www.northropgrumman.com/teachers/.
This article is part of AIA’s “Launching our Future” series that will feature science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs sponsored by our member companies.
