7th Student Parabolic Flight Campaign Day 6: 1st experimental flight
Team 1021 - Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
"It’s nine o’clock in the morning. I am in the airplane. There are lots of people moving in here. I don’t know why, but they are very nervous. Ok, now the plane starts to move, and each one is sat in their place. Seems like we are above the ocean. Oh, oh! What’s happening? Everything turns around. I think I’m going to be sick. Wow! I’m free, I’m floating! I’m… I’m sloshing! …"
This is what URCOOL has told us about today’s flight.
URCOOL is our experiment. It has been designed to study the behaviour of confined liquids in microgravity. We have some cells with coloured water subjected to centrifugal acceleration, transversal shaking and sudden braking. With this we try to simulate the scenario occurring in the fuel tanks of spacecraft, and the main phenomenon undergone by the liquid: the sloshing.
Today has been our first experimental flight. URCOOL has behaved properly, though we had some difficulties to control it before we got used to moving in microgravity. We still have to process all the data obtained today, but we are sure the results we’re obtaining will be very useful.
Do you wonder how we felt in the flight? It was a dream come true, incredible, amazing, all the words you can imagine are miles away of the 0-g feeling… it’s impossible to describe, you have to try it!
Team 1122 - University of Nottingham, UK and University of Copenhagen, Denmark
We are a UK/Denmark team of four medical students. The goal of our experiment is to look at the effects of parabolic flight on the cardiovascular system, by creating a picture of the changes in blood flow that occur during the different phases of parabolic flight. We are flying with a new combination of equipment to measure blood flow out of the leg, and the output of the heart.
Yesterday we experienced weightlessness, it was the most amazing feeling to suddenly find yourself lifted from your seat, and lose a sense of up and down. This flight of five parabolas was a good introduction to weightlessness as well as the 1.8G phase, and we were relieved that no-one was ill.
Today Panos and Rachel flew and took turns to acting as test subject and experimenter. Measurements were taken throughout all stages of the flight and the equipment worked well, as did our especially adapted clothing! All the equipment (and ourselves) had to be attached to the floor to prevent anything floating away, but we still experienced the heaviness of 1.8G and the lightness of 0G. As expected, some equipment was quite difficult to operate, especially during the microgravity phase when it was hard to stay in one position! On the last parabola there was time to enjoy floating around in circles, and then the flight was over all too quickly. The experiment continues tomorrow when Lonnie and Casper will fly.
We look forward to seeing the results of this experiment!
Team 1077 - EPFL, Université de Genève
You may think you know what to expect when flying in zero gravity, but you never know what happens until you actually feel it... It is such an unusual experience, and the first acquaintance with it is the most scary one: you feel as though no matter is under you, as though the plane had suddenly vanished from under your feet and that you are free falling.
It is funny to see to bubbles of water just like on tv, floating around (and getting yelled at after doing it!!) and incredible to see at which inclination you are... Just being in a plane taking off has nothing to do with how much inclined it is during this flight. Some of us even tried to experience the accelerations without medication... and felt a little more than the others the actual rolling of the plane, with one main result: one sick bag!
After a few parabola, while concentrating on your experiment, you may even forget that you are in a plane, a confined space, as you are totally focused on the results. You feel the energy and effervescence of all teams going at their work. Every parabola, being more and more confident of how to move in a free floating environment. We almost lost the operator somewhere on the ceiling, the test subject quickly caught him by his ankle all the while continued the manipulations with the other hand: Bravo!
We could talk about it for hours, but the best is to actually to experience it...
Team 1104 - University of Porto, Oporto University Departamento de Fìsica
Today was the first day of flights and we had to wake up at 6:30 in order to have breakfast and arrive at Novespace in time to prepare for the flight. Initially we were anxious for this first flight because the testing flight seemed a bit violent, although, fortunately, nobody from the team was sick.
While we were going to the parabola region everyone turned on their experiments waiting for the extraordinary moment, the first parabola. Finally the moment we were waiting for arrived and they started the countdown for the first parabola. The procedure went as expected and the results were very good, even better than expected.
After the sixth parabola we realised that we got used to the rapid transitions between the different gravity values, which allowed us to both perform the experience perfectly and also fully enjoy the magnificent pleasures of microgravity. Only one thing made us sad… the thought that we may never experience such sensations again in our lifetime!
