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Obituaries for Thursday, July 5, 2001
Services for Tessie G. Tyer, 70, of Rusk and formerly of Alto, will be at 11 a.m. Friday at O.T. Allen & Son Funeral Chapel of Alto. The Rev. Don . . . [ Full story ] |
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| Following their flight in NASA's zero-gravity plane, the KC-135, New Summerfield High School students, teachers and NASA scientists pose in front of the plane. The students' mission was a lifetime experience they will never forget. /Photo courtesy of New Summerfield High School |
Thursday (May 3) - We reported to Ellington Field between 9 and 11. Orientation started that morning with several speakers informing us in how it was to be an honor to be where we were. They talked about how much NASA enforced the safety issues. The do's and don'ts, in other words. We also had flight crew members approve our experiments. They suggested different ways to rearrange a couple of our experiments, only because of safety hazards.
Friday - We woke up about 6 in the morning because we were to report to Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center for psychological training. Only the flight crew members were to attend. They are also big on getting somewhere on time, so we arrived approximately 10 minutes early. They broke the class into one-hour classes. The first hour, they lectured on atmosphere, respiration and circulation; the second hour was on hypoxia and hyperventilation. The third hour was over trapped gas and decompression sickness and the fourth hour was over spatial disorientation and motion sickness. This last hour my attention was elsewhere because it just got absolutely boring. Even though we got five-to-10 minute breaks, it was not enough. About 1 p.m., we reported back to Ellington Field to hear the results on our experiments.
Monday - Crystal and Greg, I believe, went to the brief meeting in the morning at 7:30. We went to the hangar at about 8:30 to get our experiments ready for the ground crew and ready for the TRR (Test Readiness Review). Here, all they did was explain how the experiments were going to be conducted. They gave several suggestions that would enforce the safety rules. Then we ate lightly, supposedly, (yea) at Jack in the Box. We arrived in the NBL (Neutral Buoyancy Lab) at 2:50 and got our chamber masks and hats sized. We got about an hour's worth of briefing and then headed to the chamber. We had assigned seats and I was No. 4. We had oxygen on for about half an hour. (May 4.)
Then the odd numbers took their masks off and I watched for any noticeable symptoms. Then I took my mask off and I began to feel a tingling feeling all over my entire body. I wrote my name down and began work on my problems. I then began to get hot flashes and blurred vision. I kept looking down at my paper and I knew I could do it, but I couldn't get my hand up even to write it. I then didn't remember anything. We then watched the video and I couldn't remember anything I did after that. (May 7).
Tuesday - I went to the brief meeting at 7:30 and went to eat at Jack in the Box. We went to Johnson Space Center and toured the robotics lab and the retired space shuttle. We returned back to the motel and ate pizza. (May 8).
Wednesday - We toured Mission control and Johnson Space Center. We had a tour guy that was an outstanding speaker. We had to walk up 78 fights of stairs. We then returned back to our hotel and went to the United Space Alliance building and toured it. We were able to see actual engineers working on the astronaut suits and pants. We were not able to take pictures, or carry phones or pagers. We also saw what kind of food astronauts eat. Foods such as sausage and really every kind of food we eat here, they dehydrate it or something like that, and prepare it for them to eat. We returned back to the hotel and we cooked a few steaks out on the grill and Christie (Wingo), our mentor, spoke with us about our experiments and then we hit the bed for the big day. We were flying the next day. (May 9).
Thursday - I had to wake up about 6 to get ready for the big day. We all had to report to Ellington Field for the briefing meeting at 7:30. Here, they discussed who was flying this day and if there were any mistakes. We then reported to hear about safety tips and tips on how to avoid getting sick on the KC-135. We had a medical doctor visit with us and distribute the medication (for motion sickness). I took two pills. We then got our motion sickness bags which were in a brown envelope and then got our flight suits on. We were to put the white bags in our front pockets, so they could be easy to get into if you got sick. Throughout the meeting, one of the flight directors asked if there was anyone who hadn't ever ridden in a plane and I, Crystal and a girl named Kari hadn't and who knew this was our opportunity to ride in the front of the plane with the pilots.
We decided that Crystal and Kari were gonna ride in the front while taking off. We loaded the plane at 9 and began to take off at 9:30. Christie (our mentor) rode with me in the seats. We were allowed to leave our seats after about 10-20 minutes before flying the first parabola (a rise of the plane to around 34,000 feet and a drop or free-fall of the plane to about 24,000 feet to create a simulated zero-gravity environment for about 30 seconds) to get our experiments ready. We were warned five minutes prior to the first parabola and we then decided to sit down and have our feet strapped down. As we hit the first parabola the lights in the plane turned on and that was "zero-G." I had a feeling inside me that I had never felt before as I had my feet strapped down. I let my feet go and let myself float up and grab a hold of the rope above me. As I held on, my feet gradually floated up, the flight crew member then yelled, "feet down, coming out." Oh yeah, also at this time we were down-linked to our ground crew and we were able to communicate down to them.
For the first five parabolas we get used to zero-G and then on parabola six we began our work on the first experiment which was the "Universal Law of Gravity."
We observed if the middle block attracted any pull toward the outside blocks. We were linked only for 10 parabolas, so we only got to work on that one experiment that. After each zero-G we would hit two-G (while the plane was climbing) and that was not a good feeling. You could feel everything from your face to your body pulling down. Everything weighed twice the size. At the back of the plane we had a display of which parabola we were on and what gravity we were on. We did all of our experiments except for one, which was the slinky. We had 10 extra parabolas in our flight because of other civilians that were paying to test an exercise machine for the space station.
Throughout my flight I did not get sick I think, thanks to the medication. At parabola No. 36, we experimented at the gravity of the moon. (With a slower decent, occupants on the plane experienced moon gravity or gravity at a force one sixth that of earth.) Throughout the parabola I did push-ups and turned at 360 and landed on my hands. This was so cool. John then yelled: "Next stop Mars." (Mars gravity is one-third that of earth.)
I was confused and then I felt that feeling that gravity had a sort of pull and here I jumped up and bounced off the top of the plane. I'd land and without trying to jump up again, I'd land and go back up. They then yelled "that's a wrap," and that was it.
I then made my way up to the front of the plane to ride in the front on landing. I was able to view Houston and all the controls the pilots have to do. We landed at 11:30 and took a group photo in front of the plane. We then did a survey and questionnaire on our experience and turned in our flight suits. We then went to lunch at Grandy's and I couldn't stop running my mouth on how it was and what an adventure it was. We reported to Johnson Space Center at 2 p.m. to get a tour and I wasn't feeling so great because of the medication I took.
The tour lasted about two hours and I wasn't really paying attention because I was so tired. We went back to the hotel and agreed to go to the mall at 7. I called my mom and told her how the flight was and she was glad that I made it down OK. (May 10.)
Friday - I woke up about 6 to get ready to hear if I could fly or not. (When it was decided two students could not fly on Friday, the author, Elizabeth and flight crew alternate, Faye Pond, were chosen to fly the second day in their place. Flying two days in the program is almost unheard of, so Elizabeth received a rare honor.) I ate breakfast and we all loaded up to go to Ellington Field. Me, Crystal, Jermaine and Faye. Mrs. Scallon caught Donn, the guy that says yea or nay. (Dr. Donn Sickorez, University Affairs Officer at the Johnson Space Center. Dr. Sickorez co-directs NASA's Fly-High program.)
Well, under the circumstances they let us fly. I did all of the procedures over as I did Thursday. At the meeting, I was given a picture of the KC-135 plane with autographs and messages.
Faye was so excited. I was excited, but not as excited as Thursday. I was gonna be the one in charge while we flew because I had already been up there. We loaded at 9 a.m. and left for take-off at 9:30. The first experiment we did was the balls. We measured and recorded our results. We used the first five (parabolas) to get used to zero-G. We did the slinky (a slinky stretched out in no gravity is not affected by gravity, and can be used to demonstrate frequency waves.) and saw the transverse waves and longitudinal waves. The frisbee we rotated it and observed the center of mass and we recorded it with the digital and set camera.
Then we did the 3-D magnetic field (a box with windows using iron filings to demonstrate the earth's magnetic fields) and viewed the filings arrange a hair-like projection around the magnets. We then did the gyroscopic motion. We spun the scope and observed if the force was gonna act in the force put on it.
The funniest we did then, and that was to throw the medicine ball. We had about 10 parabolas to play around in and we kinda just floated around and took pictures. As we made it a wrap, we returned to our seats and waited for landing.
As we waited to land, we could feel the plane shake while traveling through the clouds. It was absolutely the most incredible experience I've ever had and will never forget. After landing we gathered for a group picture and our ground crew unloaded our equipment. After Faye finished her survey and questionnaire, we returned back into the hangar and presented Christie a gift and a picture to show her how much we appreciated her hard work.
We returned back to the hotel and began packing to head on home. We checked out and we all decided to eat at Joe's Crab Shack. As we were leaving Houston it began pouring down rain.
I thank God for helping me be one of the few to experience this project that comes along once in a lifetime. I thank Mrs. Scallon for guiding us the right way and pushing us to where we were. Not ever did I think I would have been at NASA doing what I did. I give her all the thanks in the world. She had an impact on my life and showed me never to give up. (May 11, 2001).
(Progress reporter Robin D. Best compiled this diary from Manzano's original. He accompanied the New Summerfield students for two days of the trip to NASA.)