Salute to Seniors
December 21, 2007
At last, Sarah gave the guitar a good pluck and Anthony immediately became excited.
"Keep going," he yelled.
She plucked a couple more times, then Billy leaned in and made a low noise near the mirror to try to increase the vibration. Nothing happened, so all of the data from that round had to be discarded.
But just then Rugoletti announced that another guitar in the room had a piezo - a device that measures vibrations - which could take the place of the laser and mirror in their experiment. Other students in the group had been doing online research about the guitar, donated by Alvarez Guitars.
"All for nothing, again," Billy said.
After vacation, the group will meet every day until the Jan. 23 deadline to perfect an experiment using the piezo. They also have to build a casing for their experiment so it can be secured to the plane during the experiment. They will use robotics to create a machine to pluck the guitar since there is a good chance the teachers will be too sick on the "Vomit Comet" to do it themselves.
Then their work is done until March. Teachers have about 10 days in Houston to train their bodies to withstand their time on the plane, then they will run the experiment for two consecutive days.
Students will use videoconferencing technology to watch what happens on the plane from New Hampshire. They will write reports and PowerPoint presentations to share with their peers.
Rugoletti said the experiment could have applications for future space flight.
Students' work is NASA bound; Timberlane teachers take experiment on Zero-G plane
PLAISTOW - The lights are out in the metal shop at Timberlane Regional High School and everyone's eyes are fixed on a guitar lying horizontally on a table.
A laser beam points at a mirror shard at the bottom of the guitar. Wires hook the contraption to machines off to the side.
Freshman Sarah Redman plucks a string and a low E note sounds. All eyes dart to a laptop computer to watch the graphs that form.
The vibration of the guitar's wood shakes the reflection of the laser beam. But in a microgravity environment, would the vibration be affected? Would the sound of the note change?
That's what a group of 15 students and four teachers at Timberlane Regional High School is trying to figure out, with a little help from NASA. They meet to perfect their experiment, which science teachers Steve Rugoletti, Ron Edminson, Lou Broad and Mark Cerniglia will take on NASA's Zero-G plane in March.
The Zero-G plane, nicknamed the "Vomit Comet," will throw the teachers back and forth 20 times between an environment with microgravity and one with hypergravity, Rugoletti said.
He is a member of the Network of Educator Astronaut Teachers - a group of 200 teachers nationwide who were given the opportunity to apply to conduct an experiment on the plane.
The idea came about during a lull in class one day when students were playing guitars, Rugoletti said. Since the sound musical instruments make is from vibrations, students wanted to know if gravity had any effect on those vibrations.
Their application was accepted by NASA, but the experiment still has a lot to work out.
Brittany Park, a sophomore from Sandown, said they spent awhile trying to find out which string was best to pluck.
"We tested each string until we found the one with the clearest data," she said. "The deeper tone lasts longer."
Students spent an hour Wednesday trying to find a place on the guitar for the laser and mirror. Billy Matatall, a senior from Danville, was in charge of moving the mirror and taping it in place.
"There is a slight crack that might affect the data," he said. "So I'm trying to adjust it so there isn't any interference."
Anthony LoConte, a junior from Sandown, was getting frustrated with the data. He's the group's computer guy and is in charge of starting and stopping the graphing.
A laser beam points at a mirror shard at the bottom of the guitar. Wires hook the contraption to machines off to the side.
Freshman Sarah Redman plucks a string and a low E note sounds. All eyes dart to a laptop computer to watch the graphs that form.
The vibration of the guitar's wood shakes the reflection of the laser beam. But in a microgravity environment, would the vibration be affected? Would the sound of the note change?
That's what a group of 15 students and four teachers at Timberlane Regional High School is trying to figure out, with a little help from NASA. They meet to perfect their experiment, which science teachers Steve Rugoletti, Ron Edminson, Lou Broad and Mark Cerniglia will take on NASA's Zero-G plane in March.
The Zero-G plane, nicknamed the "Vomit Comet," will throw the teachers back and forth 20 times between an environment with microgravity and one with hypergravity, Rugoletti said.
He is a member of the Network of Educator Astronaut Teachers - a group of 200 teachers nationwide who were given the opportunity to apply to conduct an experiment on the plane.
The idea came about during a lull in class one day when students were playing guitars, Rugoletti said. Since the sound musical instruments make is from vibrations, students wanted to know if gravity had any effect on those vibrations.
Their application was accepted by NASA, but the experiment still has a lot to work out.
Brittany Park, a sophomore from Sandown, said they spent awhile trying to find out which string was best to pluck.
"We tested each string until we found the one with the clearest data," she said. "The deeper tone lasts longer."
Students spent an hour Wednesday trying to find a place on the guitar for the laser and mirror. Billy Matatall, a senior from Danville, was in charge of moving the mirror and taping it in place.
"There is a slight crack that might affect the data," he said. "So I'm trying to adjust it so there isn't any interference."
Anthony LoConte, a junior from Sandown, was getting frustrated with the data. He's the group's computer guy and is in charge of starting and stopping the graphing.
At last, Sarah gave the guitar a good pluck and Anthony immediately became excited.
"Keep going," he yelled.
She plucked a couple more times, then Billy leaned in and made a low noise near the mirror to try to increase the vibration. Nothing happened, so all of the data from that round had to be discarded.
But just then Rugoletti announced that another guitar in the room had a piezo - a device that measures vibrations - which could take the place of the laser and mirror in their experiment. Other students in the group had been doing online research about the guitar, donated by Alvarez Guitars.
"All for nothing, again," Billy said.
After vacation, the group will meet every day until the Jan. 23 deadline to perfect an experiment using the piezo. They also have to build a casing for their experiment so it can be secured to the plane during the experiment. They will use robotics to create a machine to pluck the guitar since there is a good chance the teachers will be too sick on the "Vomit Comet" to do it themselves.
Then their work is done until March. Teachers have about 10 days in Houston to train their bodies to withstand their time on the plane, then they will run the experiment for two consecutive days.
Students will use videoconferencing technology to watch what happens on the plane from New Hampshire. They will write reports and PowerPoint presentations to share with their peers.
Rugoletti said the experiment could have applications for future space flight.
- Salute to Seniors
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- Waring School, Class of 2008
- Triton Regional High School, Class of 2008
- Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School, Class of 2008
- Swampscott High School, Class of 2008
- Timberlane Regional High School, Class of 2008
- Sparhawk School, Class of 2008
- St. John�s Preparatory School, Class of 2008
- St. Mary's High School, Class of 2008
- Sanborn Regional High School, Class of 2008
- Salem (N.H.) High School, Class of 2008
- Rockport High School, Class of 2008
- Salem (Mass.) High School, Class of 2008
- Presentation of Mary Academy, Class of 2008
- Pingree School, Class of 2008
- Phillips Academy, Class of 2008
- Pinkerton Academy, Class of 2008
- Pelham High School, Class of 2008
- Pentucket Regional High School, Class of 2008
- Peabody High School, Class of 2008
- North Shore Technical High School, Class of 2008
