Comment 4:
The two Thai sisters, Ms. Apaporn and Sarunporn Boonyarattaphan
"The parabolic flight experiment is a combination of academic and fun experiences. Not to mention that it is full of surprises. It is definitely one of our once-in-a-lifetime experience. The fun part was that we actually did have the chance to float in the air on earth. This is definitely one of the ultimate surprises and experiences that cannot be described in words. Both of us cannot deny it. Most people would think that floating is impossible in the air on Earth. We used to have the same thoughts until the parabolic flight proved us wrong.
For the academic part, we enjoyed predicting the outcome of the experiments. In conditions such as microgravity that is not easily available on Earth, it is like accessing an unknown territory. Here, based on our knowledge, we have the chance to explore the possibilities of infinite ideas for the outcome of the experiment. As we do not know what will happen, most ideas seem to be possible. We need to use our deduction skills and come up with the most possible answer. This was one of the experiences gained.
At first, we predicted that the rate of dispersion of the medical drug would be slower under a microgravity environment. This is because under a microgravity environment there is less force acting on the water molecules since there is less force for the water molecules to push the medical drug molecules apart; this leads to a slower rate of decomposition.
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As for the actual results, we made further analyses on the data we obtained from the parabolic flight by measuring the size of the medical drug during dispersion 3 seconds at a time. We also performed the experiments on ground and measured the size of the drug. Both results were compared and we discovered that under microgravity the drug dispersed faster.
For the experiment on ground, the medical drug sinks to the bottom of the test tube and because of this, the drug cannot rotate during dispersion. As a result, the drug disperses more upwards in the direction opposite to the direction of the gravity because a wider space exists for the drug to expand.
For the experiment under microgravity, in almost all cases, the drug either floats or sticks to the surface of the water. In the case when the medical drug floats, the drug can rotate during dispersion and they disperse in all directions because the drug does not touch the surface of the test tube. When the medical drug sticks to the surface of the water, the drug disperses in the direction of the ground.
Even if the result of the experiment had proved that our prediction was not correct, both of us would have been satisfied with the results. The process of the experiment went well according to plan.
Although we faced some minor problems during the experiments, we managed to solve them. We gained a lot of experience by just going through the whole process of the experiment.
Lastly, we would like to sincerely thank every one of you who was involved in making this experiment possible for us. This is a great opportunity and it means a lot to us. We hope that in the future this parabolic flight will still continue to provide chances for students from our and other countries to access this great opportunity and to share this once-in-a-lifetime experience."