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News Release
BOISE STATE NEWS RELEASE / March 31, 2009
Online at: http://news.boisestate.edu
Boise State Engineering Students, Faculty Launch NASA
Microgravity University Experiment Today
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Boise State University students and faculty from the College of Engineering
took off this morning as participants in NASA’s Microgravity University
program. In a specially outfitted Boeing 727, the research team is
conducting an experiment over the course of several hours and 32 extreme
parabolic maneuvers simulating Martian, lunar and zero gravity. The data
they are collecting, concerning lunar surface traction concepts for rovers,
will contribute to NASA’s vision of returning to the moon and establishing a
permanent platform for exploring far beyond.
Today’s flight and another tomorrow come after nearly a week of orientation
and training at NASA’s Ellington Field, the Johnson Space Center and the
Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, all in Houston, Texas. Boise State team members
on the G-Force One plane today are: students Dan Isla and Alex Miller, NASA
mentor Pedro H. Curiel, and Barbara Morgan, former NASA astronaut and now
Boise State’s distinguished educator in residence. The students, assisted by
Curiel, are testing the traction of custom wheel designs in a lunar
dust-like substance in the hope of helping NASA engineers address
anticipated challenges in building better rovers for missions to the moon
and Mars. On Wednesday, Boise State engineering professor Jim Browning will
assist students Mallory Yates, Ryan Bedell and Kyle Knori in completing the
experiment.
After the final data is submitted to NASA, the team will focus on community
outreach to build interest in the space program and the academic disciplines
that feed into it. In taking Boise State research to such new heights, these
individuals are laying the groundwork for a continued relationship with NASA
and participation in other educational programs dealing with pushing the
boundaries of science and technology.
To learn more about Boise State’s project and the Microgravity University
program, visit the team blog at
http://microgravityu.blogspot.com. To see a previous press release about
the program, go to
http://news.boisestate.edu/newsrelease/022009/0211SEEDmicrogravity.shtml.
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(NOTE TO EDITORS: A special photo news release with images from today’s
flight is scheduled for release on Wednesday.)
CAPTIONS FOR ATTACHED PHOTOS:
Photo 1: Senior Alex Miller and his Microgravity University teammates took a
crash course in emergency breathing equipment at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy
Laboratory in Houston on Friday. Prior to flight and the experience of
lunar, Martian and zero gravity on the G-Force One airplane this week, they
needed to be trained in how to take corrective action in case of sudden
cabin depressurization. The team is flying today and Wednesday over the Gulf
of Mexico collecting data on lunar surface traction concepts.
Photo 2: Boise State’s Microgravity University team was at Houston's
Ellington Field on Sunday to celebrate the return of the Space Shuttle
Discovery crew. Six astronauts from the STS-119 mission were aboard,
bringing with them STS-118 crew member Sandra Magnus, who had been on the
international space station for 134 days. After the ceremony, Boise State
students and faculty got a chance to meet some of the crew. Pictured here:
Distinguished educator in residence Barbara Morgan, Discovery mission
specialists Ricky Arnold, Steve Swanson and Joe Acaba, and Boise State
engineering students Ryan Bedell, Mallory Yates and Alex Miller.
Photo 3: Onboard the G-Force One airplane, members of the Boise State
Microgravity University team install their experiment Monday afternoon in
preparation for flight days on Tuesday and Wednesday. From left: Boise State
engineering professor Jim Browning, senior Dan Isla, NASA mentor Pedro H.
Curiel, senior Alex Miller and graduate student Jeff Perkins.
Media Contact: Mike Journee, University Communications, (208)
426-1517, mikejournee@boisestate.edu
Boise State University is “The New U Rising” with record student
enrollment, new academic buildings, additional degree programs and a growing
research agenda. Learn more at
www.boisestate.edu.
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Last reviewed on
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
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