Fort Worth science teacher conducts her students' experiments in zero-gravity aircraft

FORT WORTH, Texas - A Fort Worth science class has taken its experiments out of this world — well, almost.

Fort Worth Academy 7th and 8th grade science instructor Lauren Parker was one of eight teachers nationwide selected for a unique space-simulated opportunity.

Parker went aboard the zero-gravity G-Force One Aircraft in Florida. She took along with her actual experiments designed by her students and got to test the students’ theories in zero gravity.

"It was a lot more work than I expected," she admitted. "I thought it was going to be calm, nice, relaxing, and it was not. It was very high energy."

Everything from a quest to cook pancakes in space to the behavior of certain substances, Parker’s students soaked it all in and realized how much their work matters in a bigger science research picture.

Beaming with pride, they discussed their projects. 

"I learned of like little things you’d overlook," said student Jackson Fleischauer. "Like you have to add holes to the design so vapor gets out."

"Basically, it’s water and cornstarch. And if you punch it really hard, it stays hard. But if you barely tap it, your finger will go through it like water," said student AJ Perez.

"These were their experiments that I was just lucky enough to carry out for them and knowing their ideas are valuable and they matter in the long term," Parker said.