Yes I've been delaying too long making my latest and as of yet greatest post.
On July 17, 2008, I participated in a ground breaking experiment. A team from Rhodes College journeyed to Ellington Field in Houston, TX to conduct research aboard NASA's modified C9-B code-named the Weightless Wonder and know colloquially as the "Vomit Comet." Used for training astronauts, the Vomit Comet flies parabolic maneuvers simulating weightlessness for a period of approximately 30 secs. NASA's education office has a program that allows undergrads to fly an experiment on board the aircraft and experience microgravity, something few human beings get a chance to do.
Our experiment's objective was to create the world's first purely electrostatic binary orbit. In layman's, we wanted to get two graph-coated spheres roughly the size of ping pong balls to orbit around each other in zero gravity. The theory behind this is that since Newton's Law of Gravitation (which creates the planetary and stellar orbits we all know and love) is mathematically similar to Coulomb's Law of Electrostatic Attraction, electrical attraction between two objects should also create orbits. This has never, EVER, been done before with two free-floating objects.
This was not an easy task-alot of sweat, blood, and tears were poured into this experiment, along with tons of 2x4's, screws, and cash. But the NASA training we received was awesome, the experience one of a kind, and the results 100% gratifying. I have the pleasure of showing you one of our successful orbits (you can't really see me, I'm the operator on the right just out of the camera frame):
Eletrostatic Binary Orbit
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2 comments:
Incredible. How does it feel to be literally the first human in history to witness a phenomenon?
The ramifications of your experiment are beyond me. But what you did was, in layman's terms, very cool.
I was getting ready for tomorrow's presentation and found your blog by accident. Cool Chase.
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