Brookies Bring Creativity to Microgravity with the Inaugural Aurelia Institute Zero-G Flight
Brookie alums on the Zero G flight, from left to right: Anna Voelker (BOF ‘18) representing Mission: AstroAccess, Amy Huynh (MIFP ‘20, BOF ‘19) representing the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program, Mya Guillaume (BOF ‘22, PGSF ‘21) representing the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, and Allysa Kazhe (BOF ‘21) representing the Brooke Owens Fellowship.
In 2022, The Aurelia Institute offered three spots to students from the Brooke Owens Fellowship, Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, and the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship to fly weightless with Zero-G - for free.
Zero G conducts parabolic flights which create the feeling of weightlessness for the passengers on board. Lovingly referred to as the “vomit comet” by many, this type of flight flies up and down like an eight thousand foot roller coaster in the sky. This flight pattern generates periods of microgravity (weightlessness) and hypergravity (around 2g meaning you’ll feel twice your weight). The pilots can alter the parabola flight pattern to also simulate martian gravity or lunar gravity.
Parabolic flights have been used to train astronauts, conduct weightless experiments, and even film movies like Apollo 13. Last year Allysa Kazhe (BOF ‘21), Mya Guillaume (BOF ‘22, PGSF ‘21), and Amy Huynh (MIFP ‘20, BOF ‘19) were selected through a random drawing to fly with the Aurelia Institute on board a Zero G flight. They shared with us some thoughts on their weightless experience.
This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and the Aurelia Institute will (very generously) be offering up more spots for fellows this year! Brookies and Patti’s who are interested - you’ll receive more details soon on how to submit your name for this year’s random drawing.
What was it like to receive the call that you were going to fly?
“I remember getting the call from Will and genuinely being so excited to the point where I happy-cried for a little bit then immediately called my mom as I quite literally was jumping around for joy. The call came at a really low point for me in the semester and it honestly gave me the spark of inspiration I needed to finish my Junior year off strong.” - Mya (PGSF ‘21)
“I had a random phone call late at night that I wasn’t going to pick up and thought it was going to be spam but I said to myself “Eh, might as well answer”. It turned out to be BOF saying that I was selected. Very surreal and I couldn’t stop thinking about it as I went to sleep that night.” - Allysa (BOF ‘21)
“I was so excited, I literally did not expect it at all! I was so incredibly grateful for the opportunity and was so ecstatic. I was so nervous during the application cycle and so elated when I got to share with my best friends that I got it.” - Amy (MIFP ‘20, BOF ‘19)
Why did you apply to this opportunity?
“I knew as a young aerospace professional experiencing zero g's was one of my biggest goals to hit at some point in my career, and to be able to do it so soon, I will be forever grateful.” - Mya (BOF ‘22, PGSF ‘21)
“An opportunity to do something like this has never come up before so I knew I had to apply even if it was a small chance. Also, I read the description and saw how cool it was - I couldn’t pass up the experience!” - Allysa (BOF ‘21)
“I thought this was a truly incredible opportunity that I never could have imagined having the opportunity to do so until much further down my career. I also think Aurelia’s work in space outreach is really inspiring to see, so I thought it was an overall amazing opportunity to experience zero gravity and connect with an awesome group as well. - Amy (MIFP ‘20, BOF ‘19)
Left to right: Allysa (BOF ‘21), Amy (MIFP ‘20), and Mya (BOF ‘22, PGSF ‘21)
What was the flight like?
“3 main words. BEST. EXPERIENCE. EVER. We did 25 parabolas total with 2 being lunar and 2 being Martian. It was nothing like I expected it to be which in itself I think I expected funny enough. It was the most freeing experience I think I have ever felt even when I first felt the zero-gravity. I kept kicking around and did not really know how to control myself but it was so fun. I cannot explain how big my smile was the entire time I almost could not believe I was living it. It's like floating in a pool but with no water and with no sense of direction and all of the strength to move, it was odd having one push-off send me across the bus plane. ” - Mya (BOF ‘22, PGSF ‘21)
“We flew out of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. We did a flight suit fitting where we got all out patches put on, a Technical Readiness Review (TRR) for items being brought on the flight, parabola planning, and a really light motion-sick-conscious breakfast. We got 2 lunar and 2 Martian parabolas then 16 zero gravity parabolas. 20 parabolas in total. I was moving around quite a bit and doing flips so my body didn’t have time to figure out it shouldn’t be on the ceiling. I still don’t know how to put it into words but I only truly realized I was floating by seeing everyone around me just lift off the ground. It was amazing and went by way too fast! Thankfully I didn’t barf, only a little nausea towards the end. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone who has the possibility to apply, even taking a small chance is worth it. ” - Allysa (BOF ‘21)
“It was absolutely incredible — being part of the fellowship group cluster, it was so fun to see everyone’s happiness, excitement, and surprise when we all started floating! It is really something you have to experience for yourself as you are able to, it’s so hard for me to describe in words. The Aurelia Institute played a great role in helping us plan our projects by holding office hours and had a great agenda set that made the whole experience very smooth. - Amy (MIFP ‘20, BOF ‘19)
Were you nervous at all?
“I wouldn't say I was as nervous because excitement really took over the closer the flight got. I was around so many people excited about space flight and everyone had so much energy that the entire trip from beginning to end was filled with laughs and friendships that will last a lifetime.” - Mya (BOF ‘22, PGSF ‘21)
“Not really, thankfully. The only time I started to get anxious was during take-off when it finally sunk in that I was really doing this.” - Allysa (BOF ‘21)
“I was definitely nervous — I had no idea of what to expect it to feel like! I also felt like I wanted to make the most out of the opportunity with my project so I was nervous about not being able to do my best during the flight.” - Amy (MIFP ‘20, BOF ‘19)
Photo from Allysa (BOF ‘21)
How did you spend your time during the flight?
“Going in, I knew I wanted to spend most of my time on the plane just enjoying and experiencing floating. Honestly, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I really wanted to live in the moment. I did set up a basketball hoop and attempted to make a dunk (only made one haha ) but also I did a "hamster wheel" around the circumference of the wall where I got to literally climb the walls and ceilings (there's video). I spent the last couple of parabolas sitting in the back of the plane trying not to puke” - Mya (BOF ‘22, PGSF ‘21)
“I planned out the parabolas for which videos that I wanted to take and how I would showcase each of the two artworks that I took on-flight. Only about 80% of the plan survived take-off but I still got all the footage and pictures I really wanted to get. I also made sure to leave two parabolas to make an intentional memory since I got advice that it goes by a lot quicker than you’d imagine.” - Allysa (BOF ‘21)
“I decided to work with a STEAM outreach nonprofit organization called Dreams for Schools that I was a part of as a middle school student and later on as an intern and program mentor teaching website development. On an iPad floating around in zero gravity, I showed mobile apps that students from underrepresented backgrounds created through the AppJam+ program. It was also super cool to see all of the other projects happening all at once, from outreach to artistic expression and actual hardware for research. I also spent some parts of the flight just tumbling around in the air and definitely felt childhood joy and awe in those moments. At some point, I ended up in a completely wrong section from how far I floated outwards.” - Amy (MIFP ‘20, BOF ‘19)
Would you recommend this to others?
“I would recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity to do this because it truly was the best.” - Mya (BOF ‘22, PGSF ‘21)
“ It was amazing and went by way too fast! I would highly recommend this experience to anyone who has the possibility to apply, even taking a small chance is worth it.” - Allysa (BOF ‘21)
“I definitely would recommend this opportunity — this is one of the most incredible opportunities that these space fellowships have to offer! The team at Aurelia Institute is truly amazing and so supportive of everyone and are so kind for making this opportunity much more accessible to students in aerospace. It was also an amazing way to bond with other Brookies and fellows from across years that I haven’t been able to meet in person yet. I still see people I met from my flight during my time at MIT or at aerospace conferences, so it is an amazing chance to strengthen your aerospace network and friendships and literally get to float around in zero gravity! Literally go apply now, who knows what will happen!” - Amy (MIFP ‘20, BOF ‘19)
Want to fly this year? If you’re a Brooke Owens Fellow or a Patti Grace Smith Fellow, stay tuned for more details on how to apply for this year’s spots offered by the Aurelia Institute.