Nathan Scalf, LCA Junior, to Fly Research in Microgravity

Congratulations to LCA junior, Nathan Scalf, on the remarkable achievement of being selected to fly his research in microgravity aboard the Zero-G parabolic aircraft this coming spring!

Last July, Nathan participated in the nationally competitive NASA STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) summer internship program, where he had the unique opportunity to work alongside NASA experts on critical earth and space research missions. As part of the internship, students submitted research proposals for a chance to fly their experiments in a microgravity environment. We are thrilled that Nathan was one of four students selected to fly their project, titled Wound Irrigation for Microgravity Environments.

Nathan will now collaborate with scientists and flight mentors to further develop and refine his experiment in preparation for flight. During flight, the Zero-G parabolic aircraft conducts a series of parabolas, each providing 22-second bursts of weightlessness, for a total of around 10 minutes of microgravity, the same conditions astronauts encounter in space.

The Zero-G aircraft is used to train astronauts and conduct cutting-edge research for organizations such as NASA, Purdue University, UC Berkely, MIT, and other commercial space partners. Only a few high school students have had the opportunity to personally experience microgravity. We will be sharing additional information as the flight date gets closer in the spring.