Shaun Lofty Houston Tx

Zero-Gravity Student Experiments Completed in Houston

"Over the top!"

The call through the airplane alerts passengers that the aircraft has reached the zenith of its parabolic flight-path and is about to nose over into a roughly 8,000-foot dive.

Suddenly, the interior of the aircraft is transformed into a surreal world: girls' hair hangs suspended in midair, shoelaces hover over their accompanying shoes, an unfastened duffel bag rises into the air and floats above the seats like magic.

It isn't magic. It's NASA's zero-gravity aircraft, and the passengers are members of 14 student teams from universities across the nation whose research proposals were selected for NASA's Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program .

Jokingly described by program coordinators as the world's fastest weight-loss program, the grant awards undergraduates the inimitable opportunity to propose, design, fabricate and test a research project in zero gravity.

Two teams from the University of Arizona were selected this year and completed tests on their experiments last week at Ellington airfield in Houston.

The program gave students a chance to participate in a very real world of science and engineering research well beyond the classroom. At Ellington airfield, the teams were given three days and a weekend to finalize their experimental setups before flight, immersed in a professional science and engineering environment where safety and professionalism are counted top priorities.

The teams worked on tables and workbenches in an open hangar, in the shadow of a looming 727 airplane.

Before loading their experiments onto the zero-gravity aircraft, the set-ups had to pass the Test Readiness Review, or TRR, in which team members presented their projects to a group of NASA officials and explained every phase and function of the experimental setup. Once the officials were satisfied that the experiments were test-ready and safe, the setups could be loaded onto the plane.

A robotic arm, parasitic nematodes and a mechanical model of a human torso with a simulated circulatory system were among the projects that found a home bolted to the floor of the aircraft.

How will a lens created by the interface of immersion oil and water work in microgravity, where the only force acting on it is the comparative density of the two liquids?

2011 MLB Draft: Houston Astros Draft Report - MLB Bonus Baby

There are those that love George Springer and there are those that are skeptical. Whichever side you may fall, the tools cannot be denied. Springer established his prospect status during his Sophomore season at UConn, displaying a power/patience/speed mix that left few who saw him unimpressed. The bat speed was ridiculous but the swing was high effort and came with plenty of swing and miss. During the summer preceding his Junior season, his stock exploded when observers saw him in the Cape and during Team USA's run. After a slow start to his season (certainly not surprising for a cold weather player facing warm weather competition), many jumped back off, questioning his hit tool. The thing that perplexed me is that nothing in his profile had changed from the summer when he was lauded as a top 5 talent. In the end, Springer did enough to get drafted 11th overall by the Houston Astros. I am one of his believers. Springer DID make progress this season, showing a slightly more controlled swing that resulted in a much better contact rate. The swing can still get out of control but when talking about that kind of bat speed from a 5 tool talent, it's hard to ding him too much. He is considered very coachable and a hard worker, meaning he should be able to cash in on his tools once he enters pro ball. This was a shot of upside that this organization desperately needed. This was earlier than I expected Adrian Houser to go. His desire to sign quickly got him a $530K bonus to forgo Oklahoma, but that doesn't mean he is uninteresting. The quickness of the arm is what immediately jumps out when watching video of Houser. Next is the frame which seems to have some projection remaining. The delivery isn't overly smooth as the arm seems to be ahead of his lower half a bit, but there doesn't seem to be too much effort involved either. Houser also seems to spin a hard breaking ball well. He is currently racking up strikeouts in the GCL; the extra development time could allow him to jump into full season ball next year. Armstrong has shown flashes of being a first round arm throughout his college career. His best run came during the summer in the Cape following his Freshman season at Vanderbilt. He hasn't shown much consistency since then, but the makings of an above-average starter are still there.

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