You never got to float around the room in high school. Now the state of Florida plans to fund this so called no gravity classroom every year.
"We're putting together a microgravity educational research institute," Space Florida CEO/President Steve Kohler said.
The classroom is a modified 727 run by the company Zero G. The pilot climbs steeply and dives to create about 30 seconds of weightlessness.
The state of Florida plans to lease this plane about 20 times a year, allowing students and teachers to learn in this weightless environment, something that has never been open to students and teachers before.
The first trip went to Florida space agency officials, teachers and high school students from Jacksonville doing a science experiment.
The students are watching how pumps perform in weightlessness versus on the ground, while hanging onto wires so they do not float away.
The experiment is part of a system students hope to use to grow bone cells in weightlessness.
They want to help astronauts by studying the bone loss space fliers experience on long-term space trips.
"It's a thrill because as you know when we were younger, we didn't have opportunities like this," said teacher Kevin Simmons. "For our students to do weightless experiments, it's an incredible opportunity."
Florida officials say they plan to fly thousands of students in the state's new classroom in the sky.
Teachers on the flight were instructed on how to prepare students for the weightlessness.
Florida space officials plan to hold a statewide engineering competition to decide who goes on the next flight.
You can find out more information on the Space Florida Web site at http://www.spaceflorida.gov/
David Waters, Central Florida News 13.