Houston, Texas – Four Tufts engineering students took a break from their summer vacations to conduct experiments in space – well, sort of. The students were aboard NASA’s “reduced gravity” plane, otherwise known as the “Vomit Comet,” which replicates the weightless environment of space. CNN correspondent Michael McManus was along for the ride.

   “The experiment is complete and ready to fly,” he reports. “The students from Tufts University have passed all the training and exams After some tightening and safety checks, its time to experience zero Gs.” The students conducted experiments on the way water particles stick together while aboard the free-falling aircraft.

   Their work was captured by the CNN camera crew, and was rebroadcast as part of the CNN Newsroom – an instructional program for educators which airs Monday through Friday on CNN. For the students, the trip into replicated space was more than just academic.

   “Everything is so hands-on, so deliberate and so tangible. It was very exciting,” said Tufts student Rebecca MacMaster. Fellow student Scott Macnamara agreed. “Its just an incredible experience that most people will never have the chance to experience in their lives.”

   The CNN broadcast also featured a discussion of online auction house E-Bay, the creation of Tufts grad Pierre Omidyar.

Online: http://www.tufts.edu/communications/printable/101399CNNCoversTuftsEngineers