I'M READY for my Zero-G Research to Boost Astronaut Health

The Boise State University Undergraduate Microgravity Research Team is featured in the I'M Ready campaign!

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The Finally

On August 6, 2014, the 2013-2014 Boise State University Microgravity Research submitted their final technical report to NASA’s Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program.

This final report was 58 pages in length. It included a background, method, research results, discussion, conclusion, and an outreach section.

Besides a final report, a final video was also created and submitted to the Reduced Gravity Office showing the story of the research journey for this team.

View Our Video Experience

 

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Abstract Accepted

On July 31, 2014, the 2013-2014 Boise State University Microgravity Research Team got accepted into the 30th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR). Our submitted abstract was accepted for a Poster presentation. The meeting will be held at The Westin Pasadena located in Pasadena, California from October 23 through October 26, 2014.

 

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Thank You Intermountain Medical Imaging

Thank you Intermountain Medical Imaging for scanning our “mock brain” with your EHP CT scanner. 

The 3D images will be used in our final technical report submitted to the Microgravity University program.

The “Mock Brain” is made of Ballistics Gel and is adhered to a clear poly-carbonate plate. It is permanently sealed inside of a 3D printed part made of a Polyactic Acid Filament. The base plate is 20x24cm and the “skull” stands about 13cm tall.

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Sleeping Blog

It has been a week since our first group of flyers flew in Houston! Time sure flies! I thought I would post something kind of silly today just for fun. This blog post had been joked about all trip. We got so little sleep before the trip and during our time in Houston, that we started to get our zzzz where ever we could! Then we started documenting our odd sleeping behavior and every time a photo was taken of someone sleepiwe joked that it would show up on the sleeping blog. So without further ado...

On the plane on the way to Houston.

On the way to dinner with the Reduced Gravity staff and other flyers.

On the plane headed home from Houston.

This was taken right after she woke up

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My Experience: Libby Stewart

My team mates have been writing their reflection posts about their flying experiences, but since I chose not to fly, I am going to write my reflection about my trip to Houston as a whole. This has truly been an unforgettable week! The first three days could be described as hard work with no sleep and high stress. Overcoming the challenges and struggles faced at the beginning of the week made the success at the end of the week even sweeter. I am so grateful to the RGO staff, our NASA mentor Tom, and anyone and everyone involved to make flight week happen. The people at Ellington Field, JSC, and NASA in general really did make the Boise State University Microgravity Research Team's dreams come true. I can't thank you enough!

I went to Houston hoping our experiment would work and thinking that I might learn a few things about NASA. Well let me tell you folks, I am returning home with much, much more. I have gained four great new friends and I have a deeper respect and gratitude for my advisors. I just want to take a minute to thank my team members for making this trip such a great experience for me:

Roxanne,

You are the best team lead ever! Thank you for always giving 110% and never giving up. You handled the stresses of this experience very well and I am so proud of how you have grown as a leader. It was great to have another girl on the trip and I loved laughing with you about silly things the boys did. Congratulations Roxanne! We did it :)

Janos,

Thank you for not giving up or quitting on the team! You stuck with us and were a crucial member in so many ways. You are so patient and kind when I asked you questions and I really appreciate it. You sacrificed and went out of your comfort zone on this trip and I am really proud of you. I am sorry I missed pronounced your name before! I think I got it now ;)

Scott,

So much of your time and energy went in to designing and building this apparatus, I hope you are as proud of it as I am. Your skills were vital to the success of this project. You are very reliable, and we could always count on you being there for the team. It was great getting to know you this week and I just want to thank you for all your hard work and dedication.

Carl,

Thank you for making me laugh! I don't think I have ever laughed so much, in a seven day span, in my entire life. You bring such a positive energy to the team. It was an important factor in our ability to overcome all our setbacks. You may not be the fastest door maker, but you are the best! Thank you for being you and making this experience so memorable.

Jill,

Thank you doesn't even come close to describing how thankful and grateful I am that you are a member of this team. Nor does it begin to express my gratitude and appreciation for all your hard work spent on our project. You are the glue that kept us together. You were our supportive mentor and coach.  I hope you gained as much out of this experience as I did!

Dr. Barney Smith,

Thank you for believing in us and giving us the opportunity to come to Houston to have this experience. Thank you for being patient with us and for being understanding. Thank you for never leaving our side or turning your back on us. I appreciate you and all you have done for the team. We could never have done this without you!

I correctly predicted that I would learned some NASA facts and trivia, but more importantly I learned and witnessed NASA's mission in action. Even if our experiment doesn't produce the data we expected it is still useful. The life lessons this experiment has taught me are more valuable than any pressure sensor reading. I would never trade this experience for anything.

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Leaving for Boise, Idaho

In the morning, we packed everything up into suitcases and cardboard boxes and did our best to remain in the 50 lb weight limit for each piece of luggage. When we got to the airport, we found out our flight was delayed. Once we made it to Phoenix, we discovered our connecting flight to Boise was also delayed.

During the delays and on the plane, we got to continue to bond as a team, reflect on our experiences from earlier in the week, and became NASA ambassadors as we shared our experiences with others in the airport. 

We arrived in Boise after 1:30am and had all the luggage dropped off at the High Bay by 2:30am. We decided we would save the unpacking for a different day.

On our way back to Boise!

The team now has eight weeks to analyze our data and create a final report. We will also be making a video from our experiences during flight week and a video for Ms. Jarvis's at Mt. View elementary school. Look forward to these videos in future posts.

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