Dropping In Microgravity Environment
Encyclopedia
Dropping In Microgravity Environment (DIME) is an annual contest held by the NASA
Glenn Research Center
. Teams of high school students from anywhere in the United States
or its territories can enter. Each team must have one adult "faculty adviser". The teams prepare and submit proposals for research to be performed. Four teams are selected to travel to the Glenn Research Center and perform their experiments in the "drop tower", a deep shaft that can be completely depressurized
and thus simulate microgravity when an object is in free fall
in it. A further four teams' experiments are selected and conducted by the Center staff. The teams are responsible for writing their proposals, assembly of the apparatuses if their experiments are chosen to be performed, testing of the setups at their respective homes, and preparation and submission of reports to NASA about their results.
that is related to the question. The hypothesis must be testable in 2.2 seconds, and gravity must be the experimental variable
of the experiment. The utility of the proposed experiment in space exploration is an important criterion. The experimental apparatus may not be larger than a cube with sides that are 12 in (30.5 cm) long. For safety reasons, the following items are not allowed:
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Glenn Research Center
Glenn Research Center
NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field is a NASA center, located within the cities of Brook Park, Cleveland and Fairview Park, Ohio between Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and the Cleveland Metroparks's Rocky River Reservation, and has other subsidiary facilities in Ohio...
. Teams of high school students from anywhere in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
or its territories can enter. Each team must have one adult "faculty adviser". The teams prepare and submit proposals for research to be performed. Four teams are selected to travel to the Glenn Research Center and perform their experiments in the "drop tower", a deep shaft that can be completely depressurized
Vacuum
In everyday usage, vacuum is a volume of space that is essentially empty of matter, such that its gaseous pressure is much less than atmospheric pressure. The word comes from the Latin term for "empty". A perfect vacuum would be one with no particles in it at all, which is impossible to achieve in...
and thus simulate microgravity when an object is in free fall
Free fall
Free fall is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it, at least initially. These conditions produce an inertial trajectory so long as gravity remains the only force. Since this definition does not specify velocity, it also applies to objects initially moving upward...
in it. A further four teams' experiments are selected and conducted by the Center staff. The teams are responsible for writing their proposals, assembly of the apparatuses if their experiments are chosen to be performed, testing of the setups at their respective homes, and preparation and submission of reports to NASA about their results.
History
The DIME competition was first held in 2001 with two winning teams selected, both from Ohio. The contests continued, with an increasing number and diversity of winning teams, through 2006. In 2007, the contests were suspended because of a decrease in emphasis on microgravity research in the budget, so not enough money was available to continue it, although the amount of money involved was a miniscule fraction of the federal budget. They were resumed in 2009 with the selection of 11 winners (3 Tier III winners were chosen). The number of winners was placed at 8 in 2010 and will be the same this year.Guidelines
In order to be selected, there must be a clear research question and a clear hypothesisHypothesis
A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. The term derives from the Greek, ὑποτιθέναι – hypotithenai meaning "to put under" or "to suppose". For a hypothesis to be put forward as a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it...
that is related to the question. The hypothesis must be testable in 2.2 seconds, and gravity must be the experimental variable
Natural experiment
A natural experiment is an observational study in which the assignment of treatments to subjects has been haphazard: That is, the assignment of treatments has been made "by nature", but not by experimenters. Thus, a natural experiment is not a controlled experiment...
of the experiment. The utility of the proposed experiment in space exploration is an important criterion. The experimental apparatus may not be larger than a cube with sides that are 12 in (30.5 cm) long. For safety reasons, the following items are not allowed:
- Pressures more than 2 atmAtmosphere (unit)The standard atmosphere is an international reference pressure defined as 101325 Pa and formerly used as unit of pressure. For practical purposes it has been replaced by the bar which is 105 Pa...
- RadioactiveRadioactive decayRadioactive decay is the process by which an atomic nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting ionizing particles . The emission is spontaneous, in that the atom decays without any physical interaction with another particle from outside the atom...
materials - Hazardous chemicals
- Biological samples (with the exception of common household materials). No living organisms may be used.
- All electrical circuits must have circuit diagrams and be approved by Glenn staff. Wires must meet national standards.