PROVO — For Pleasant Grove High School seniors Nelson Radmall and Michael Judson, high school graduation was only a blip on the screen compared to getting their experiment ready for a NASA deadline.
So were birthdays, dates and finishing up an Eagle Scout project.
"We work on the project 24/7," said Judson as the duo finished fixing components in place on their "Artificial Gravity Growth Unit II" — a project that's due at Wallops Flight Facility.
The prototype has to undergo vibration tests of up to 14 Gs before NASA accepts it for an upcoming launch.
"Our hard deadline was kinda yesterday," Radmall said, "So we'll get it out as soon as we can today."
The project is a miniature version of a science experiment that won them a third place and $1,000 cash prize at the International Science Fair two weeks ago.
With it, Radmall and Judson hope to prove seeds can be successfully germinated within a centrifuge in a zero gravity environment — something that could significantly contribute to a healthy lifestyle in future space missions.
The two friends got word in February that their experiment had been accepted for a shuttle flight. They first had to reduce the size of the unit to fit within the allotted space they'll have on the shuttle.
They needed money, customized parts and time.
Ken Hardman, a neighbor and an engineer for Boeing, helped get them $3,000 from Boeing and mentored the effort. Brigham Young University mechanical engineering professor Paul Eastman rounded up engineering students to help them create the parts they needed.
"Everything has to be reliable, lightweight and be able to withstand heat, vibration and electrical stress," Judson said.
Judson said designing and creating the aluminium hub was the most challenging piece of the puzzle because it has to connect feeder tubes and rotate while an air line coming out the top remains stationary.
The two have to make a prototype that can withstand launch and re-entry, but it must work even after it sits for weeks or months waiting for a launch into space. They have to be very careful about everything, even as to what type of epoxy they use.
"NASA is worried about out gases and things like that," Judson said.
They have VIP passes to the launch once NASA sets a date for the next mission — but they don't know when that will be. They also can't determine where they might be when the experiment gets back to Earth.
As soon as the prototype leaves, they start work on the second generation that will go with them when they go to Wallops for a week in June to get it ready for final testing.
The stress has been intense, admit the two, but they've survived and so has their friendship. "That's the thing. We're the only two people in the world who know what this is and how to operate it," Judson said.
"Maybe we shouldn't drive together," Radmall said.
E-mail: haddoc@desnews.com