Microgravity Discussion

We had a great discussion today about the microgravity flight. I slightly changed one of the experiments to fit better with the state Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) so we talked about that today and decided on our hypotheses for both of the experiments. The kids had some great questions about weight and mass and about the mechanics of how the whole flight is going to work. Here are some basics.

We fly in parabolas. The top of the parabola is where we are weightless.
The first parabolas will simulate Martian Gravity (1/3).
The next two parabolas will simulate Lunar Gravity (1/8).
The last 12 parabolas will be zero gravity.
We are conducting three basic experiments (mixing oil and water, Newton’s Laws – hitting balls of different sizes to see what happens, and a weight vs. mass experiment)
You can follow along with the flight in real time at www.flightaware.com

The kids had some great hypotheses about what is going to happen in each excperiment. I have listed them below.

Microgravity Oil and Water Hypotheses
· I think the oil and water will separate with a little empty spot in the middle (Brandin, Rafael, Charlie, Hope)
· The oil and water will mix but will be in the middle of the bottle. (Allie)
· I think the oil and water will float to the top of the bottle and stay mixed because there is no gravity to cause them to separate (Madison)
· I think that the oil and water will both go to the top – I think they will stay separated but I don’t think it will matter which one is on top – random. (Logan, David, Nick)
· I think the oil and water will stay mixed because there is no gravity to tell which one is heavier or lighter. (Amanda, Kaide)
· I think that the oil and water will mix then piece by piece will separate similar to on earth. (Jake)
· I think the oil and water will separate and float in the middle of the bottle. (Hadei)
· I think the oil and water will go to the top of the bottle and remain separated. (Monse)
· I think the oil and water will not mix because the water will be on the top and the oil on the bottom - opposite of earth. (Michael)
· I think the oil and water will float to the top of the bottle and stay mixed. (Creyana, Brittany)
· I think the oil and water will mix and float together in the middle of the bottle. (Marressa)
· I think the oil and water will separate into separate globs and not mix. (Justin, Keevan)
· I think the oil and water will separate because of no gravity (Chasity)

Microgravity Balls of Different Mass Experiment Hypotheses

Ball with a smaller mass hitting a floating ball with a bigger mass.
· When the small mass ball hits the bigger mass ball, I don’t think the bigger massed ball will go very far. (Brandin, Madison, Logan, Jake, Kaide, Hadei, Marressa, Chasity, Charlie, Nick, )
· I think the small ball will hit the bigger ball small ball will not move very far (Allie, Monse, )
· I think that results will be the same as on earth but the balls will travel farther. The balls will travel the same (small hitting large, or large hitting small) (Rafael)
· I think when the small ball hits the larger ball, the small ball will rebound away. Bigger ball will move slightly (David)
· I think the ball with the more mass will go about 10 ft. when hit by the ball with less mass. (Brittany)
Ball with a larger mass hitting a floating ball with a smaller mass.
· I think the ball with the smaller mass will travel about 10 ft. when hit by the ball with more mass. The results will be the same no matter which ball hits the other. (Brittany, Chasity, Hadei)
· I think both balls will travel together. (Nick, David)
· I think smaller ball will only travel a little and the larger massed ball will follow it forward. (Charlie, Monse,)
· I think smaller ball will travel slightly farther than the larger ball did in the other experiment. (Marressa, Allie)
· I think the results will be the same no matter which ball hits the other. (Rafael)
· I think the smaller ball will go really far because the larger ball has more mass. (Kaide, Logan, Madison)
· When the larger mass ball hits the smaller mass ball, I don’t think the smaller massed ball will go very far. (Jake, Brandin)