THE ESA PARABOLIC FLIGHT MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH PROGRAMME

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1 THE ESA PARABOLIC FLIGHT MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH PROGRAMME Vladimir PLETSER Microgravity Payloads and Platforms Division Science Department Human Spaceflight and Operations Directorate European Space Agency ESA-ESTEC

Vladimir Pletser European, Belgian, born in Brussels Civil

Candidate, 1991 Physicist Engineer at ESTEC, ESA, 1985-.

payloads on Spacelab, Spacehab, ISS, Russian Foton -

2 Vladimir Pletser European, Belgian, born in Brussels Civil Engineer in Mechanics, 1979 Master in Physical Sciences (Geophysics), 1980 Ph.D. in Physical Sciences (Astrophysics), 1990 Belgian Astronaut Candidate, 1991 Physicist Engineer at ESTEC, ESA, Project Manager for Physical Sciences microgravity payloads on Spacelab, Spacehab, ISS, Russian Foton - Coordinator of ESA Parabolic Flights, 7040 parabolas 37h56m 0g (25.3 orbits) + 50m g Mars + 45m g Moon supervised 970 experiments Three simulation campaigns of Martian missions: Arctic, 2001; Utah Desert, 2002, 2009 (Crew Commander)

4 MICROGRAVITY PLATFORMS

MICROGRAVITY PLATFORMS Characteristics µ-g level Duration

tubes 10-3 -10-6 < 5 s < 1 indirect Aircraft parabolic flights

min < 1 indirect Manned orbital platforms 10-2 -10-5

5 MICROGRAVITY PLATFORMS Characteristics µ-g level Duration Volume Human ( g ) time (m 3 ) intervention Drop towers and tubes < 5 s < 1 indirect Aircraft parabolic flights s > 10 direct Sounding rockets min < 1 indirect Manned orbital platforms weeks-years > 1 direct Automatic orbital platforms 10-5 weeks-months > 1 indirect

7 A310 PARABOLA PROFILE FL m ~130kt IAS FL m 250kt IAS FL m 335kt IAS 1g 1,8g max 0g 1,8g max 1g Pull-up ~20s Microgravity ~22s Pull-out ~20s Transition phase

10 EUROPEAN PARABOLIC FLIGHT CAMPAIGNS 2 ESA, 2 CNES and 1 or 2 DLR campaigns for microgravity research per year All campaigns from Bordeaux - Mérignac airport, with 3 flights of 31 parabolas Other airports can be used: Brussels ( ), Koeln, Berlin (DLR campaigns) On board: - 4 pilots, 1 flight coordinator, 1 flight surgeon, 4 safety attendants - 2 Novespace experiment managers - 40 pax: experimenters, VIPs, journalists, cameramen, photographer Partners: - ESA, CNES or DLR : campaign organisation and overall management - Novespace : practical and technical organisation, logistics, flight operations - Sabena Technics : technical support to aircraft - ESA Medical Board, CPP, Univ. Caen : medical institutions for certification of Life Sciences experiments with human subjects Constraints (EASA-DGAC) - Parabolic flights considered as test flights, only for experimenters - Access conditions : medical certificate, legal majority, function on board

ESA PARABOLIC FLIGHT CAMPAIGNS MICROGRAVITY CAMPAIGNS (since 1984) 5820 par.* + 752 expts Dates Campaign Aircraft Location Par.

Caravelle Brétigny (F) 279 33 1996 23 rd NASA KC-135/931 Bordeaux (F) 90 12 1995-01 Support (6x) NLR Cessna Citation Schiphol (NL) 173 7 1997-14 24 th 61 st CNES/ESA Airbus A300 Bordeaux (F) 3478*

(1999) PARTIAL-G ESA/CNES/DLR CAMPAIGNS (since 2011) 186 par.* + 26 expts Dates Campaign Aircraft Location Par. Expts 2011-12 JEPPF-1/2 CNES/ESA Airbus A300 Bordeaux (F) 186* 26 * incl.

11 ESA PARABOLIC FLIGHT CAMPAIGNS MICROGRAVITY CAMPAIGNS (since 1984) 5820 par.* expts Dates Campaign Aircraft Location Par. Expts st - 6 th NASA KC-135/930 Houston (US) D + 7 th - 18 th CNES Caravelle Brétigny (F) D + 19 th CTC Ilyushin Berlin (D) th - 22 nd CNES Caravelle Brétigny (F) rd NASA KC-135/931 Bordeaux (F) Support (6x) NLR Cessna Citation Schiphol (NL) th 61 st CNES/ESA Airbus A300 Bordeaux (F) 3478* 458** CoPF 62 nd CNES/ESA/DLR A310 Bordeaux (F) orbits = 32 h 20 m = * incl. 3 Mars + 2 Moon par. (2010) ** incl. 4 expts on CNES, DLR camp. (1999) PARTIAL-G ESA/CNES/DLR CAMPAIGNS (since 2011) 186 par.* + 26 expts Dates Campaign Aircraft Location Par. Expts JEPPF-1/2 CNES/ESA Airbus A300 Bordeaux (F) 186* 26 * incl. 72 Mars + 78 Moon g par. STUDENT MICROGRAVITY CAMPAIGNS ( ) 1201 par expts Dates Campaign Aircraft Location Par. Expts st CNES Caravelle Brétigny (F) nd NASA KC-135/931 Valkenburg (NL) rd -9 th CNES/ESA Airbus A300 Bordeaux (F) orbits = 6h40m =

PARABOLIC FLIGHT CAMPAIGNS Large experience in Europe with parabolic flights since 1984 for : - short duration microgravity scientific and technological experiments - tests before space experiments

12 PARABOLIC FLIGHT CAMPAIGNS Large experience in Europe with parabolic flights since 1984 for : - short duration microgravity scientific and technological experiments - tests before space experiments to improve quality and success rate - confirm results obtained from space experiments - train astronauts to procedures and payload / experiment operations - increase of public awareness and education From 1997 to Oct. 2014, the Airbus A300 ZERO-G was used for a total of 104 parabolic flight campaigns by ESA, CNES and DLR, including : - 38 ESA, 34 CNES and 23 DLR microgravity campaigns for microgravity research experiments in Physical and Life Sciences and technology tests, with mixed payload complement - 2 Joint European ESA-CNES-DLR Partial-g Parabolic Flight Campaigns to complement microgravity research and to prepare future exploration - 7 ESA Student campaigns (from 1994 to 2006) to involve students in microgravity / space technology research Since April 2015, the Airbus A310 ZERO-G is used; already 2 ESA campaigns Evolution in experiment approach, from look and see simple experiments with hand held cells to full research programme over several campaigns with racks of several hundreds kg

AIRBUS A310 ZERO-G Airbus A310-304 MSN498 History 24 Jun.

Chancellors and Ministers for official journeys 24 Jun.

13 AIRBUS A310 ZERO-G Airbus A MSN498 History 24 Jun. 1989: delivered from Airbus manufacturer to East German airline Interflug : used by Interflug for normal flight business 27 Aug. 1991: became property of German Air Force, named Konrad Adenauer : used by German Federal Chancellors and Ministers for official journeys 24 Jun. 2014: handed over to Novespace, followed by series of tests flights 3 Sep Mar. 2015: overhaul and modification by Lufthansa Technik (structural follow-up by stress gauges and cabin accommodation) 27 Apr May 2015 : First CoPF campaign with ESA-CNES-DLR

14 PUBLIC DISCOVERY FLIGHTS Since 2013, 5 to 6 times per year 15 parabolas: 1 Mars-g, 2 Moon-g, 12 0-g parabolas Cost: < Euros Moon g parabola Mars g parabola

15 Fundamental Physics Complex plasmas and dust particle physics Aerosol particle motion Frictional interaction of dust and gas Plasma physics Aggregation phenomena Materials science Thermophysical properties of melts New materials, products and processes Morphological stability and Microstructures Physical chemistry Aggregation phenomena Granular matter Biology Plant Physiology Statolith movement Gravitropism - Gravireceptors Cell and developmental biology Animal physiology Ageing processes Electrophysiological and morphological properties of human cells Osteoblast cells Technology ISS Experiment validation Phase separation technologies biological fluids Metal halide lamps Crew foot restraint - Crew exercise devices Urine monitoring system Fluid and Combustion Physics Combustion - Droplet and spray combustion Soot concentration - Combustion synthesis Laminar diffusion flames Fuel droplet evaporation - Ignition behaviour Structure and dynamics of fluids & multiphase systems Pool boiling - Heat and mass transfer Dynamics of drops and bubbles Thermophysical properties Interfacial phenomena - Evaporation Dynamics and stability of fluids Complex dynamic systems Diffusion - Foams Chemo-hydrodynamic pattern formation Physiology Integrated physiology Cardiovascular function - Respiratory function Body fluid shift Central venous pressure system Digestive system Muscle and bone physiology - Skeletal system Bone models - Body mass tests Blood lactate studies Human locomotion - Posture Neuroscience - Neurobiology Vestibular functions - Spatial orientation Motion sickness Motor skills

For liquid phases in weightlessness: Absence of separation

convection Predominance of other smaller effects Disappearance

structure that cannot be obtained on Earth (e.g.

16 For liquid phases in weightlessness: Absence of separation phenomena Homogeneity of mixing Disappearance of natural convection Predominance of other smaller effects Disappearance of hydrostatic pressure Possibility of building network structure that cannot be obtained on Earth (e.g. crystals) Natural levitation EFFECTS OF MICROGRAVITY Possibility of creating contactless alloys

problem phase change heat transfer wetting characteristics

17 bubble rise bubble detachment bubble nucleation and growth at wall energy sink wall BOILING Main challenges: multiscale problem phase change heat transfer wetting characteristics non-equilibrium thermodynamics strongly transient process energy source

18 BOILING

20 HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY

The ESA Parabolic Flight Programme for Physical Sciences

The ESA Parabolic Flight Programme for Physical Sciences Vladimir PLETSER, Anne PACROS, and Olivier MINSTER Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration Directorate, European Space Agency ESA-ESTEC,