Two undergraduate student teams from the University of Michigan, researching the effects of microgravity with NASA, have been chosen to fly in weightlessness, aboard a KC-135A jet. Used to prepare astronauts for spaceflight, these are the same aircraft that were used to film scenes for the motion picture “Apollo 13.”

Sponsored by NASA in cooperation with the Texas Space Grant Consortium, the Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program (RGSFO) offers undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct experiments in a weightless environment. Selection is based on a rigorous proposal competition; 48 teams nationwide win flight assignments.

From The U-M “Weightless Wolverines” microgravity research teams invite you to our Media Day, in an effort to offer you an inside look into top-flight research groups, and the RGSFO program. This event will be held on March 3 at 1 p.m. at the U-M Department of Aerospace Engineering, in the McDivitt Conference Room, on the North Campus. This event includes experiment exhibitions, facility tours, and a question-and-answer session.

One team is studying the effects of microgravity on the production of single-wall carbon nanotubes. Discovered in 1991, nanotubes are a form of carbon; 50,000 times as small as a human hair, they are six times as light as steel, but nearly 100 times as strong. The second team will be studying the operation of a Liquid Droplet Radiator (LDR) in microgravity, which could lead to lighter, more economical power and cooling systems.

Both U-M teams are sponsored by the U-M Students for Exploration and Development of Space (UM-SEDS), an academically oriented student organization that promotes undergraduate interest in aerospace and technologically driven fields.

The KC-135A is a modified Boeing 707 jet. Formerly used by the U.S. Air Force as a midair refueler, NASA has modified two such airplanes to serve as microgravity test aircraft. These jets provide the only environment, outside of space, where people can experience and work in a state of weightlessness.

Department of Aerospace EngineeringU-M Students for Exploration and Development of Space