The highs and lows in parabolic flights
On Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 September, ESA is organising the Parabolic Flight User Days for physiologists, material science specialists and life science researchers who have conducted research, or, who are planning to conduct research, under conditions of weightlessness, particularly by means of parabolic flight.
Participants will be provided with a forum to discuss and exchange lessons learned and experiences gained during ESA's parabolic flight campaigns in the past years.
The Parabolic Flight User Days aim to illustrate the current state of microgravity research and the possibilities for its future development. Not only for users of the A-300 'Zero-G' parabolic aircraft, but also of other research facilities for gravity dependent research including the International Space Station.
During the Parabolic Flight User Days, ESA will highlight aspects of research capabilities, the required ground support and how the research infrastructure is built up by ESA.
Programme
Day 1 focuses on the contribution from scientists in physics, material science and life sciences. They will present lessons learned within their research in weightlessness and from the experiments they undertook.
On Day 2, ESA will address innovative, legal, educational, medical, organisational and logistical aspects of 0g research. As part of this, ESA will be making special reference to the expertise it offers in this field. In addition, ESA intends to look at the interest and possibilities to fly at Martian gravity.
Participation
All participants in the past parabolic flight campaigns, including the media representatives and science journalists who have participated in a flight, or are interested in participating in a flight, are welcome to join the Parabolic Flight User Days.
The Parabolic Flight User Days will take place at ESA's European Research and Technology Centre, ESTEC, in Noordwijk, The Netherlands.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN UNTIL FRIDAY 5 SEPTEMBER 2003.
If you are interested in taking part, please register here:
http://www.spaceflight.esa.int/users/paradays/
