How I Feel Now…

Many people have asked how it was to experience zero-gravity.  They also have asked how I feel now that I am back.  To answer that question, check out the following cartoon.  Thanks to Laura P. (7th grade) for drawing it!

Click to enlarge!

The Day in Pics…

I wanted to share some of the official photos from the flight with you.  These photos capture the experience we all had on the weightless flight.  I hope you enjoy them.  All photos are copyright of Steve Boxall.

This picture shows the first people to board G-Force One on that lovely day.  If you look closely, do you see who is first in line? – That is right!  It’s me Mr. B!

After boarding G-Force One, we found our seats and prepared for takeoff.  We had to have the standard (with some comical, attention-grabbing acting) safety briefing, as found on any commercial flight.  The flight shortly after takeoff was quite rough due to weather, but we managed well enough.  Once we reached our cruising altitude, the coaches then began to setup our experiments.  They collected all of our shoes first though!  Then we were allowed out of our seats and posed for the group picture seen below.  This was taken somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean.

Next, came the frantic setup of experiments and even some baseline experimentation.  My team sets up the mass vs. weight experiment in the photo below.  Note: I will describe the experiment in more detail when I post the video of it in action.

Time quickly evaporated and we had to get into position to start the parabolas.  The best part is just about to begin.  The first set of parabolas (five in total) would be Martian 1, Lunar 1, Lunar 2, Zero 1 and finally Zero 2.  That was quite a trip from Mars to the Moon twice and then on into zero-gravity, but it only took approximately 6-7 minutes to perform.  G-Force One is fast!

The photo above shows us prepared to experience the 1.8 Gs on the way into the first parabola.  We are looking up at the ceiling and focussing on one small point to limit the effects on our bodies.  Get ready for Martian 1!

Martian Gravity is fun because you can do some very easy pushups!  The gravity on Mars is 1/3 of the Earth’s Gravity.  How much would you weigh on Mars?

Mr. B Floating?

Zero-gravity is just amazing!  Here is a picture that appeared in the Norwalk News (actually it is the picture used by Northrop Grumman for their official press release!).  Follow the link to the story!

Read the full story here.

Also here is a video from the same news organization.  Hang on and enjoy! (Unfortunately I cannot post it directly at the moment so follow the link to story and/or video)

Video from Hearst Media

Story from Hearst Media

For even more pictures check out the Northrop Grumman Foundation’s Weightless Flight of Discovery Facebook page.  There are 145 pictures for your entertainment!  I believe there are quite a few good ones of me too!

Norwalk WFOD Album

Floating along…

I thought you all might like to know who will be floating along with me in zero-g tomorrow. These are the winners of the Race 2 Space trivia quest:

Students: Nick V. (patch designer), Kaitlin N., Kevin S., Ryan G. (first to turn in answers) and Jon S.

Teachers: Miss Helgans, Mrs. Savastano-Davies and Mr. Petrino

Congratulations to you all. Your picture will float in zero-g and each of you will receive your own actual mission patch! I hope to have the footage to share tomorrow or Wednesday.