BUBBLE BEADS From Sea to Outer Space

By
Gina Koerner and Brandon Togioka

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Goran Jovanovic
Teacher Aide: Ana Jovanovic

The goal of this project was to make Neutral Buoyancy Beads out of an extract of seaweed. Another goal was to control the beads by magnetic field.

The beads will eventually simulate the conditions of space for the testing of life support systems for the space shuttle and space stations.

RESULTS:

• We made a few beads containing ferrite that float.

• However, they did not have neutral buoyancy, which would mean they have the same density as water. Neutral buoyancy beads would stay still in the water, neither rising to the surface, nor sinking to the bottom.

• Also, out of approx. 60 ferrite beads, only 5 float.

• Without the ferrite, about 30%· of the beads float. Many of them rise or sink slowly, indicating that they're close to neutral buoyancy.