Reduced gravity aircraft
As a special parabolic flight maneuvers is called, at which the aircraft describes an open surface of the earth parabola. The purpose of this maneuver is to achieve gravity or the simulation of a reduced gravity, such as the Moon or Mars gravity. In practice, usually 5 to 30 parabolas are flown consecutively.
When initiating the climb, as well as the interception of the fall flight, there is almost twice the force of gravity on the plane. The German scientist Fritz Haber and Heinz Haber, who later became television journalist, invented in 1950 the parabolic flight.
Expiration
After a pause of about 2 minutes in horizontal flight the next parabola is then begun.
Medical impact
By accelerating and the steep flights send eyes and balance organs information to the brain that do not match the content. Some people react to the rapid gravity change at a parabolic flight with nausea or vomiting. Therefore, anti-emetics may be administered prior to such flight. Because of the unpleasant symptoms associated with many participants carrying the aircraft with which such flights are performed occasionally nicknamed " Kotzbomber ". The U.S. space agency NASA calls its used for parabolic flights KC -135 " Vomit Comet ", ie Kotzkomet.
Many participants feel the weightlessness, however, be pleasant, which is why such flights are also very popular.
Applications
- Testing of equipment that will operate under gravity (such as in outer space ). Especially flames, liquids and gases behave under weightless conditions sometimes completely different than on the ground.
- Implementation of scientific (especially aero- and hydrodynamic as well as materials science and chemical ) experiments under weightless conditions.
- Production of special effects for filmmakers: Many of the space scenes from the movie Apollo 13 with Tom Hanks were during several parabolic flights rotated to mimic the ruling in space weightlessness.
- Even for ordinary citizens are parabolic flights offered (such as in Star City near Moscow) - but at high prices.
- Students can attend the annual student campaign at ESA and have the chance to even perform their own experiment on a parabolic flight.
Suitable types of aircraft
Generally parabolas can be flown with virtually any aircraft. But are used mostly slightly modified military transporter ( an Il -76 in the Russian space agency, a KC -135, a C9 -B at NASA ) or civilian aircraft ( at ESA a " A300 ZERO -G "). Advantageously, a further interior, which offers enough space for experiments and on the free float.
Even with small aircraft and even gliders parabolic flights can be performed. But levitation is not possible due to the necessary place. The parabolic flight serves essentially to the fun, the pilot feels weightless either only or is pressed with multiple Erdgewichtskraft up in the straps.