UNL student team chosen for NASA microgravity research program

A student team from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering will conduct scientific research experiments while flying in a reduced gravity environment as part of NASA's Microgravity University Systems Engineering Educational Discovery.

The UNL team is one of 10 college teams chosen to participate in the NASA discovery project. NASA has identified ongoing projects related to systems engineering and reduced gravity, and the UNL team will work on research of the "Effects of 0G or 1/6G on Radio Frequency Identification data accuracy." The team will test the effects of 1/6G and/or 0G on the read rate and accuracy of RFID capabilities of items contained in cargo transfer bags via portable readers, as well as the accuracy of read rates of cargo transfer bags and tagged items translating through a vehicle using stationary readers. NASA is investigating Surface Acoustic Wave RFID technology to augment its barcode-based inventory system, but no testing has yet been performed in a reduced gravity environment.

Team members from UNL are Stephen Brogan, Lincoln; Lee Redden, Kearney; Dustin Dam, Sidney; Olia Dzenis, Lincoln; Tyler Golberg, Alexandria, Minn.; and Dana Valish, Columbus. Lance Perez, associate dean of graduate studies in the College of Engineering and associate professor of electrical engineering, is the faculty adviser.

The experience, which begins this month and culminate in the reduced gravity flight in April, will feature hands-on investigational design, test operations, and educational public outreach activities. These student investigations will follow the same stringent guidelines governing NASA research and test flights, allowing the students to gain insight into NASA and its programs. The team and a NASA mentor will collaborate on the flight experiment. Several videoconferences will be conducted with NASA and other engineering organizations on the research.

Each investigation is scheduled for two flights if conditions permit, to replicate the investigation and correct any problems encountered during the first flight. NASA creates the reduced gravity environment through specialized aircraft, which includes flying a series of parabolic maneuvers, similar to a roller coaster ride. Normal missions consist of approximately 1.7 flight hours and are flown over the Gulf of Mexico.

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