Houston, we have a slight case of nausea

NASA referred to its KC-125 aircraft as the “weightless wonder” because it carried college students and their experiments into micro-gravity by flying in parabolic patterns to create an environment of near weightlessness. But most members of S&T’s Miners in Space program in the early 2000s knew it as the “vomit comet” for its motion sickness-inducing flight pattern. S&T students boarded the aircraft — and later a C-9 and Boeing 727 — to conduct experiments in near-zero gravity as part of NASA’s Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program. Their experiments helped NASA better understand how conditions aboard spacecraft could affect situations considered normal on earth. Many S&T projects involved welding experiments, but Miners in Space students also tested cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in microgravity.

“CPR is a lifesaving treatment that’s used when an individual’s heart either stops beating or is in an irregular rhythm that results in little to no blood circulation,” said Keenan Johnson, president of Miners in Space in 2012 and a 2014 computer engineering graduate. “As space flight duration increases and the general populace starts to journey into space, the likelihood of an event should drastically increase, and is almost inevitable.”

Share This Story

Spark a Memory?

Share your story! Fill out the form below to share your fondest memory or anecdote of S&T. If you'd prefer not typing, you can also share by phone at 833-646-3715 (833-Miner150).

They appraised the Titanic

They appraised the Titanic

After watching a documentary in which survivors of the April 1912 R.M.S. Titanic sinking recalled hearing a loud cracking noise…

Major league research

Major league research

Three S&T faculty helped strike down claims that “juiced” baseballs were the cause of a spike in Major League home…

Pam (Thebeau) and Dennis Leitterman

Pam (Thebeau) and Dennis Leitterman

Although both Pam (Thebeau) and Dennis Leitterman started as freshmen in fall 1971, they didn’t meet until August 1975. “I…

One active alumnus

One active alumnus

James E. “Jim” Bertelsmeyer, a 1966 chemical engineering graduate and the retired founder, chair and chief executive officer of Heritage…

Earthquake stops baseball, starts inspections

Earthquake stops baseball, starts inspections

Kamila Crane, who earned a bachelor’s degree (1985) and master’s degree (1986) in civil engineering, was prepared to start rebuilding…

Studying the past to improve the future

Studying the past to improve the future

Katy Bloomberg, who earned her bachelor’s degree in history in 2006, believes that her experience working in S&T’s Archives prepared…