Taking undergraduate research to new heights: MCS students ride aboard NASA's "vomit comet"
As part of NASA's Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program, James Torchia, Caroline Chen, Sujata Emani, and Candace Spier tested how certain molecules inside cells respond to the extreme conditions while inside this special aircraft.
With padded walls for protection, Emani floats to the top of the KC-135A’s cabin, enjoying the 20 or so seconds of weightlessness the passengers experience as the aircraft plummets back to the earth from an altitude of 30,000 feet.
Emani (left) keeps track of the experimental protocol while Torchia (right) prepares the cells for storage and transport back to Pittsburgh.
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Chen (left) and Spier (right) are strapped to the aircraft to prevent them from floating away as they carry out their experiment.
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Chen and Spier celebrate the completion of the first phase of their experiment. The team will analyze the cells once they return to Pittsburgh.
March 24, 2004
For more information, see:
 Students will study the health effects of zero gravity aboard NASA's KC-135A aircraft
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