Northrop Grumman Foundation's Weightless Flights of Discovery
Giving Wings to Science Education
Across the country, there is a growing concern regarding the number of students entering science, technology, engineering and mathematic careers. We know that one way to reverse that trend is to make science and math fascinating and applicable for the students. And, in order to engage the students, we have to have educators who are excited about what they do and can bring unique learning opportunities into their classrooms.
In order to address this concern, the Northrop Grumman Foundation has teamed with the Zero Gravity Corporation to develop the Weightless Flights of Discovery program. The Northrop Grumman Foundation Weightless Flights of Discovery program is designed to inspire students to pursue science and technical careers by inspiring their teachers first. Practicing classroom middle school teachers and future middle school teachers have the opportunity to participate in hands-on science workshops and perform and experiment in a parabolic or "zero-gravity" aircraft flight that creates temporary weightlessness comparable to what humans would experience during space travel to the Moon or Mars. It also mimics how astronauts train for space flights.
“Every engineer, every scientist, every technically trained person in our nation can look back and identify a teacher who played a significant role in his or her decision to pursue a technical career,” explains Sandra Evers-Manly, president of the Northrop Grumman Foundation. “The Weightless Flights of Discovery program is all about giving teachers the tools and experiences they need to show their students that math and science are not only entertaining, but can also be the basis for a fascinating career.”
History of The Weightless Flights of Discovery
In his 2006 State of the Union address, President George Bush announced the creation of the American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) to stimulate American innovation and to help ensure that today’s students would develop the technological skills required to maintain U.S. global leadership in science, technology and engineering.
In support of that educational call to action, Northrop Grumman launched the Weightless Flights of Discovery program, a unique, nationwide teacher professional development program designed to inspire today’s students to pursue degrees in scientific and technical fields.
The Weightless Flights of Discovery program was created and developed by Northrop Grumman, in cooperation with the Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G), Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., a company that specializes in bringing the exhilaration of weightlessness to the general public.
By focusing the Weightless Flights program on teachers rather than students, Northrop Grumman was able to achieve maximum “reach” for the lessons of its microgravity “high school,” delivering inspiration to an estimated 10,000 elementary, middle school and high school students in the first year alone.
Floating — a New Approach to Education
The Weightless Flights of Discovery program includes teacher workshops and parabolic flights in locations throughout the country. To see our 2008 workshop and flight schedule, click here.
In each workshop, teachers learn about the physics of weightlessness and what to expect on the zero gravity flight. They also design microgravity experiments that applied science, technology, engineering or mathematics principles to human activities in a weightless environment. During the weightless flight one or two weeks later, they conduct their experiments under the watchful eye of a video camera. Teachers then use their videotaped flight experience and the results of the experiments to help shape math, science, technology or engineering curricula at their home schools.
Teachers who participated in previous Weightless Flights of Discovery have reported through letters and e-mails that the fun and exhilaration they experienced during the program have begun showing up in their classrooms. The flights have helped them demonstrate to students that math and science are not only “cool,” but also “fun,” a language understood by students worldwide. And the teachers now see themselves in a new light, as a critical cog in a process that will help restore U.S. leadership in scientific and technical excellence.
San Jose, California
Workshop – August 2
Flight – September 18
Space Coast, Florida
Workshop – August 14
Flight – September 30
Atlanta, Georgia
Workshop – August 23
Flight – October 7
Chicago, Illinois
Workshop – September 27
Flight – October 21
How a Zero Gravity Flight Works
Zero gravity flights are performed using a specially modified aircraft, an FAA approved aircraft called G-Force One. The maneuvers are conducted in dedicated airspace 100 miles long by 10 miles wide. Specially trained pilots fly the aircraft in a series of maneuvers called parabolas, or arcs, between the altitudes of 24,000 and 32,000 feet.
At the beginning of each parabola, the aircraft climbs at a 45-degree angle. At the “top” of the parabola, the aircraft is “pushed over” into a controlled descent that creates a temporary zero-gravity environment. The teacher flights include approximately 15 parabolas ranging from low-gravity environments typical of the moon (1/6th G) or Mars (1/3 G) to complete weightlessness. At the end of each “weightless” period, which lasts approximately 30 seconds, the aircraft is gradually pulled out of the descent, reestablishing a more normal gravity environment inside the plane.
“My experience with Northrop Grumman's Weightless Flights of Discovery has reinvigorated my passion for learning. In only the brief two weeks that I have been back in the classroom, I can already feel this enthusiasm spilling over into my classrooms. …The Weightless Flights might appear to some to be just a "wild ride" and a bunch of teachers having fun, but I see it as the rebirth of dedicated educators who recognize the importance of keeping themselves in the loop of global cognitive growth.”
Deb Houts
Chemistry & Physics Teacher,
Northeast High School, Oakland Park, FL
“The impact of the Weightless Flights of Discovery program on science classrooms is impossible to measure. But the impact on these teachers can be seen and felt in their expression and actions. They are clearly inspired.”
Linda Froschauer
2006-2007 President
National Science Teachers Association
“It’s our duty to give every child – male, female, white, African American, Native American –the opportunity to develop their knowledge and their imagination. That's what the ACI is about, that's what the Weightless Flights program is about, and that's what we teachers are about.”
Allan Miller
6th Grade Teacher
Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow
“I congratulate Northrop Grumman for inspiring youth to pursue careers in science and mathematics. The (Weightless Flights of Discovery) program enhances President Bush's American Competitiveness Initiative and helps agencies like NASA ensure that we draw more youth into technical careers. I wish you every success for the future.”
Teachers and Educational Institutions
For teachers and education institutions looking for addtional information, please contact Cheryl Horn at (310) 556-4992
Media Contact
For media questions and requests, please contact Tom Henson at (310) 201-3458
All Other Questions
For all other questions regarding this program, please contact the Northrop Grumman Foundation at (888) 478-5478
Across the country, there is a growing concern regarding the number of students entering science, technology, engineering and mathematic careers. We know that one way to reverse that trend is to make science and math fascinating and applicable for the students. And, in order to engage the students, we have to have educators who are excited about what they do and can bring unique learning opportunities into their classrooms.
The Weightless Flights of Discovery program includes teacher workshops and parabolic flights in locations throughout the country. To see our 2008 workshop and flight schedule, 
Teachers who participated in previous Weightless Flights of Discovery have reported through letters and e-mails that the fun and exhilaration they experienced during the program have begun showing up in their classrooms. The flights have helped them demonstrate to students that math and science are not only “cool,” but also “fun,” a language understood by students worldwide. And the teachers now see themselves in a new light, as a critical cog in a process that will help restore U.S. leadership in scientific and technical excellence.
