14 DAY TRIAL // Towards the end of last week, scientists debuted a first-of-its-kind aircraft that can trick the human body into thinking it's on Mars, on the Moon, or in some other exotic location simply by simulating different gravities.
The plane, photos of which are available next to this article, is the work of researchers with the European Space Agency, France's space agency CNES and the German Aerospace Center.
Mind you, the scientists who worked on this project didn't make the aircraft from scratch. Instead, this so-called altered-gravity plane is actually a refitted aircraft. Its official name is Airbus A310 ZERO-G.
How the plane simulates different gravities
In a statement, European Space Agency scientists explain that the refitted Airbus A310 ZERO-G is designed to fly in an up-and-down, parabolic trajectory.
As a result, folks aboard it experience different gravities. For instance, a 50-degree trajectory means experiencing either weightlessness or a gravity twice as strong as the one on Earth.
“During the climb and pulling out of the descent, the occupants endure almost twice normal gravity. A person weighing 80 kg [176 pounds] on Earth will feel as if they weighed 160 kg [352 pounds] for around 20 seconds.”
“At the top of each curve, the forces on the passengers and objects inside cancel each other out, causing everything to free fall in weightlessness,” researchers say.
In a similar manner, another trajectory can simulate gravity on the Moon, on Mars, or whatever other celestial body we Earth dwellers might like to explore sometime in the future.
Why make an altered-gravity aircraft?
True, having a plane that can make you feel as if you were on Mars is pretty darn cool. Still, scientists didn't make this aircraft just for kicks. Or at least they're not willing to own up to it.
Instead, they say that their Airbus A310 ZERO-G can serve to test equipment designed to be used in space and thus help ensure the success of space missions, be they manned or unmanned.
Besides, the aircraft could also serve to carry out altered-gravity experiments in the field of astronomy, physics and even medicine, its creators argue.
