MigroG, MacroFun

I volunteered as a mentor for the NASA microgravity science flights. Really that means I spend some of my personal time translating NASA speak and documentation requirements into plain language for a team of college students doing an experiment onboard the "Weightless Wonder", a.k.a. the Vomit Comet. As a part of spending my time on it, I also get to fly with the team. AND IT WAS AWESOME!

Their experiment was to try and capture the energy of capillary flow. It didn't work so well, but I gave them a lot of ideas for tweaks to try for a second attempt if they apply again for the program. As for the flight, I opted to go without the meds since I needed to go to work that afternoon and couldn't deal with the gnarly side-effects. Since I went without meds, I anticipated and actually did vomit, but not until the 22nd and 29th parabolas and even then not too much since my stomach was already empty. I had a great time and it was amazing, we did 32 parabolas with 1 of those lunar and 1 martian. I am definitely volunteering again because getting to do something like this is well worth the time spent helping the teams.

As for the experience, I think I was most surprised about how much planning goes into moving around. You have to decide where you are going and what you are going to grab onto to get there. If not, you just end up floating away and grabbing at air. Of course that always happens right when they yell that gravity is coming back and you better get down now or get reintroduced to it the hard way. If I go again, hopefully I can concentrate on having more fun and less on trying not to upchuck, but all the same I still loved it.