“Houston, the Space Cowboys are a go”
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Seniors Jeremy Hill, Abraham McClellan, Eric Johnson, Johnny Chandler, Alan Larson
and Josh Hathaway.
(STILLWATER, OKLA., APRIL 28, 2009) – A group of talented aerospace engineering students at Oklahoma State University took a chance last fall and applied for NASA’s Microgravity University program. Though their proposal was one of hundreds competing with universities across the country, they recently learned their team was one of 20 selected for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The undergraduates, known as the “Space Cowboys,” will be spending one week this summer at NASA in Houston where they will conduct their unique microgravity experiment under the same conditions as NASA’s own scientists. The Space Cowboys include seniors Jeremy Hill, Midwest City; Abraham McClellan, Bethany; Eric Johnson, Caldwell, Idaho; Johnny Chandler, Chowchilla, Calif.; Alan Larson, Oklahoma City; and Josh Hathaway, Tulsa.
The Microgravity University program involves the testing of inflatable space habitats in a microgravity environment aboard NASA’s “vomit comet.” “Hopefully, the results of the experiment will provide valuable data for the students and the scientists at NASA on how large space habitats can be deployed under weightless conditions,” said Dr. Jamey Jacob, associate professor of aerospace engineering.
All six students on the Space Cowboys team were personally asked by Jacob to be involved in the program. However, each student has different expectations for the trip.
“I hope to take data from this project and apply that information to future experiments so that we can keep this program going,” said Hill, the team leader. He explains that the experiment is essentially testing whether or not people will be able to live in outer space.
Hathaway said he is looking forward to the weightlessness he will experience in high altitude test chambers. He chose OSU because of its outstanding engineering program, and is looking forward to “doing what the astronauts do.” He hopes to eventually join NASA’s team as an astronaut.
Flying in the “vomit comet,” NASA’s zero-gee aircraft and a major requirement for all astronauts, should be an unforgettable experience. The students will experience about 25 seconds of microgravity where they will essentially be weightless.