What is a parabolic flight?

If you want to carry out experiments under weightlessness, you primarily need to create such a condition. One possibility is the parabolic flight. Parabolic flights are used to create micro gravity (nearly total weightlessness). A plane is driven into a parabolic trajectory and then the acceleration is stopped so that everything in the plane is in free fall from the beginning to the end of the parabola (see illustration P1). This is similar to a trajectory of a stone which is thrown upwards and falls down afterwards. The stone is under weightlessness whilst it falls.

Originally parabolic flights were primarily used to train astronauts for space missions and to get used to weightlessness. By now these flights have been developed into reasonable and suitable methods for performing experiments which need micro gravity for only a short time.

Of course there are other ways of obtaining micro gravity (e.g. experiments in drop towers or by the help of satellites or space shuttles in orbit around the earth), but in contrast to the parabolic flight they are highly expensive or too short and difficult to handle.

Picture P1: Diagram to visualize the parabolic flight : During the flight upwards the people and items feel an acceleration of 1.8g (1.8fold gravity of the earth) before the acceleration is stopped and then they feel 20 seconds micro gravity. (Source: ESA)

How does the parabolic flight continue?

All experiments will be built into a specially prepared 'Zero-G'-plane (here: a changed Airbus A300). When all experiments have been fixed to the floor of the plane and tested, the plane takes off. The flight manoeuvre is divided into 3 parts: First the aircraft ascends at 45 degrees against the sky, leading to an acceleration of everything and everybody in it. Secondly the acceleration is reduced to a minimum so that the trajectory of the plane describes a parabola. In this phase there is weightlessness for approx. 20 seconds and the experiments can be performed by the accompanying researchers. At the bottom of the parabola, the aircraft slowly pulls out of its dive and levels off for the next arc. At the 'ESA Student Parabolic Flight Campaign' 31 of these parabolas are repeated. The following graphic describes the timeline of the whole flight.

Picture P2: All in all the whole flight takes 110 minutes and makes it possible to have 10 Minutes micro gravity. (Source: ESA)

What is the "ESA Student Parabolic Flight Campaign"?

ESA gives young researchers between 18 and 27 a chance to apply with their own experiments for a parabolic flight, which is performed by the company Novespace in France (Bordeaux). This campaign, where students enthusiastic about space science and with interesting experiments are chosen, is called "ESA Student Parabolic Flight Campaign 2004" ( ESA).

The "Frozen Reality Space Project" applies for participation in this campaign with an international team of 7 students ( Team).

Picture P3: The specially prepared Airbus A300 of Novespace. If you move the mouse over the picture you can look into the aircraft during the period of weightlessness. (Source: ESA)