The European Space Agency (ESA) Education Programme has the objective to inspire and motivate young people to enhance their literacy and competence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM disciplines), and to pursue a career in these fields, in the space domain in particular. To this end, it offers a number of exciting activities that range from training and classroom activities that use space as a teaching and learning context for school teachers and pupils, to real space projects for university students. SpaceHopper is conducting a Parabolic Flight Testing Campaign with the help of the ESA Education Programme.
Parabolic flights, also known as "zero-gravity flights," are thrilling experiences that let you float like an astronaut. These flights create moments of weightlessness by using special planes to perform roller-coaster-like maneuvers. As the plane goes over the top of the curve, everything inside becomes weightless for about 20-30 seconds. It's like being in space for a short time.
The parabolic flight is conducted with a Airbus A310 and is operated by Novespace.
In collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and Novespace, SpaceHopper has successfully conducted a parabolic flight campaign in Bordeaux, France. During this campaign, SpaceHopper demonstrated its remarkable ability to reorient itself using only its legs and showcased its impressive jumping capabilities in a zero-gravity environment.
