Parabolic Flights
A parabolic flight is the only platform that allows scientists to work directly on their experiments in reduced gravity. A campaign usually consists of three to four flight days. On each flight day, 31 parabolas are performed, each with approximately 22s of reduced gravity. This gives you the opportunity to switch samples, change experiment configurations and react directly to the behavior of the experiment. This makes the parabolic flights an ideal pre-test platform for experiments in microgravity. By modifying the flight maneuver, various reduced-gravity conditions can be produced to create lunar or Mars-like gravity conditions.
The Institute regularly participates in parabolic flight campaigns offered by Novespace in Bordeaux. The campaigns are organized by the DLR Space Agency or the ESA. In addition to preliminary tests for MAPHEUS and ISS experiments, flying facilities such as TEMPUS and X-RISE often obtain scientific results directly from these flights.