Agnirva Space Premier League - Expedition #31164: Floating Fun: How Kids Explored Gravity on the ISS

Imagine tossing a ball in your classroom and watching it float instead of falling. That's the magic of microgravity, and it's exactly what the 'Kids In Micro-gravity (2009-2010)' program set out to explore. Developed by NASA's Johnson Space Center, this educational experiment was designed to inspire students by allowing them to propose and observe experiments conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The main goal was to let students understand how microgravity—a condition where objects appear weightless—affects everyday phenomena. Classrooms across the United States brainstormed ideas and submitted proposals. The winning experiments were then replicated by astronauts during Expeditions 23 and 24.

Students proposed a variety of creative experiments: from seeing how paper airplanes fly in space, to observing the behavior of bubbles, water, and gyroscopes in microgravity. The results were recorded on video aboard the ISS and shared with classrooms, giving students a firsthand view of how their hypotheses held up in space.

These activities didn’t just demonstrate physical principles—they also sparked curiosity and encouraged a generation of young scientists to think beyond Earth. The ISS became a floating classroom where gravity-defying lessons helped bring science to life.

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