The Weightless Flights of Discovery program is a headline stealer. It gets a lot of news coverage, especially with a major push for the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields today. Here is some of the recent print and television coverage of our WFOD.
Teachers Defy Gravity to Gain Students’ Interest
Click here to read the full article.
I just received an email from one of the teachers on my WFOD telling us the video is up! I wish I could embed it directly into this post, but it isn’t allowed. Here are the links to the three videos! I was part of the “gold team,” hence those gold socks! Pop some popcorn and enjoy these shorts (short videos for those who don’t know that term).
Thanks again to Northrop Grumman for making this experience possible. Watching these videos brings back that day and all the great memories!
Today, we had a special performance from FMA Live! If you haven’t heard of them you definitely need to request a show at your school. It brings Newton’s Laws of Motion to life; engaging both students and teachers. The program is a joint venture between NASA and Honeywell and has a similar purpose to Northrop Grumman’s Weightless Flights of Discovery: “Inspiring the next generation.” From a large velcro wall with students stuck on it to sumo wrestling teachers and even a hover chair the show combines a catchy hip-hop concert with Newton’s Laws. It was stated that the man or woman who will set foot on Mars first is in middle or elementary school right now. Could it be you?
FMA Live’s CO2 Powered Racers being raced by students.
At the end of the program both the students and the teachers are buzzing and science is on the mind. Not to mention if you are a STEM teacher you can enter to win a trip to Honeywell’s Space Academy at Space Camp! DON’T FORGET EVERYTHING’S IN MOTION!
Today marks the last Northrop Grumman Foundation Weightless Flight of Discovery. It is currently (at the time of the post) taking place over the Atlantic Ocean. The group of teacher participating today are from the Washington, D.C. area. This flight will bring the total number of teachers reached by the program this year to about 120. Countless students will be impacted and hopefully will see the benefits of science, technology, engineering and math in their lives.
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!
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)
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!
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.
One of the cool freebies we received as part of this great program is a DVD entitled “Inspire Me!” Below is a preview of the video. The premise of the whole movie is following a dozen teachers before, during and after their WFOD experience. There are also cool interviews with Story Musgrave.
I tracked down this classic James Burke video clip showing some earlier days of weightless or zero-g flights. The method remains the same, but the conditions are nicer and you don’t need a leisure suit (sorry to those of you who don’t know James Burke for his ’70′s attire. I think this video is from days of Apollo.)
