Some videos from the third flight can be seen here (0.9 MB), here (3.9 GB), and here (1.2 MB)!


The flight went really well today, but because we had to pack everything up yesterday before we left, our blog has not been updated yet. We want to do this as soon as possible, but we are also very busy backing up our scientific data. In the meantime, there are pictures available in the Gallery and some videos above.

And now, a more in-depth narrative of the flight experience from Helen...



Hi - Helen here - this is my first blog ever - !! wow I was even weightless before blogging, but as Demerese was (finally) ground crew yesterday - I promised to update this and fill you in on flight 3.....The final day of flight - my knees ached after kneeling for two hours the day before filling the sample compartments of the chamber with the dust samples, but hey - that Chemistry training came in handy - hours of undergrad organic lab using a spatula - and now I have the steadiest hands and am qualified to put 3mm cubes of aggregated 1.5 micron-sized silica grains into 8mm diameter holes ready for ejection in microgravity!! when the physics starts happening too (those hours of mechanics lectures as an undergrad also now coming in handy!!)

We started from home at 6.15am - it was still pitch black. Arriving at Novespace the team 'procedure' kicked in, non flyers off to the plane to start the experiment, test the systems and start pumping, flyers off for the first of umpteen visits to the loo, and then getting kitted up in flight suits, and ensuring we had food and drink for after the flight etc etc.

Entering the plane, the final day's flight crew, Daniel, Philipp and Helen, checked that everything was ship-shape, and by 7.45 were wondering what to do with themselves... have ANOTHER run though of the 0-g phase, get nervous, visit the loo, chat with the pilots. Actually one thing about today's flight - the parabolas and residual accelerations were very good - on Wednesday we noticed our dust particle coliseum shaking as we started and ended the parabolas - due to residual wing - to wing- vibrations resulting from turbulence - less than 0.5mm travel - but we could see it! So anyway, today three changes, more fuel and more ballast, making the plane heavier and better balanced - and finally the flight engineer described that the technical fault from day's 1 and 2 was truly repaired. Our plane is really a prototype - after Monday's failure of the LH and Tuesdays of the RH stabilizer - the unit was removed - and found to have serial number.... 02......but luckily as the part is non standard it was found from somewhere and off we went. In fact, after medication (Daniel's hard and doesn't need any), and another loo stop (get the picture there are NO loos on board - doors close 9am and we were back at 1.25pm!!), we were off. Storms in the Bay of Biscay sent us back to the Mediterranean, and after 45 minutes we were allowed to get the experiments up and running.

Calmly does it from the flight team, we were already good to go before the 20 minute warning - so went to look out the window. I was very home sick - my 'adpoted summer city' - Marseille was just below us, beautiful blue skies and seas - though the white crests meant I wouldn't have wanted to be in the dive rib on my way to the Calenques or Isle de Plannier yesterday - the orange angels agreed though - Marseille - Cassis is some of the best diving in the world - and another great way to be weightless....(orange angels are the safety crew on board - in fact a very special kind of air hostess - ?? well, trained parachutists / scuba divers (why would we need that?) doing the whole 'doors to automatic and cross check' thing, or doctors, (given that the flight is known as the vomit comet and the first job of the angels after take off is to hand each flyer a sick bag as if it was the in flight magazine.....anyhow they are their for our safety and a bunch of people who are to be respected and thanked..) Well I waved hello to those of you I know there - and then as is customary on flight, practised my procedure for filling empty two litre water bottles and then passed the honors on to one of my colleagues - see I am not alone - but the medication does dehydrate you - i.e. make you sleepy and need to pee - in an environment where both are difficult!!

So enough - "One minute to 0th parabola" from the captain (believe me there is no way you can get sick if you a. take your medication and b. concentrate on listening to the sexy french accent of the pilot when he says " pull up" "injection" and "pull out" during the manoeuvre). With Demerese on the ground I had the privilege of switching from coliseum turning to operating the pistons and back up camera - and shifting positions in the plane. Lying flat on my back, head inches from the free floating area (more on that later) I concentrated on my 'focus spot ' on the ceiling, lying on my back, and breathing, then as if by magic.. floating up, I had a practise of a good position to adopt during flight for experiments, and starting and stopping the recording.. all too soon the pilots voice appeared again, "(say with a French accent for full sexy effect) thirty, fourty , pullout", and it was back to 2-g. Lying flat and waiting I listened for the rush of air to repressurise the cabin - and wow - all over - 1 minute 10 seconds of pure exhilaration.

Now it was time to concentrate. Philipp and Daniel are both experienced flyers and had flown before on their respective data collection roles - I couldn't let them down. As a team we discussed what commands to give each other again.. and also how loud they should be - we used the first 5 parabolas to perfect the technique - we were getting good - after only two 'zero-g' phases achieving 3 collisions per parabola, we hit the timing that gave us 4 (it wasn't so hard to do my new job) - and averaged so close to 4 per parabola for the rest of the flight - that well - we need to build a bigger experiment!! In fact we all admitted to each other afterwards that we were each secretly trying to see if we could get 5 collisions - but hey - it just wasn't quite possible. None the less, when switching from an automated to manual coliseum turning device we had originally thought during the design phases that we would only get 1-2 collisions per parabola - but on averaging 3-4 and having the flexibility to have control over the system - it seems this 'old fashioned modification' was a good idea.

Anyhow, the rest of the experiments went without incident - except when Helen nearly had her head crushed in the 2g phase, when an orange angel literally 'fell down' from the outside of the free-floating netting near the ceiling to just where she was lying in the microgravity to 2-g pull out phase. Quick reflexes and i moved out the way(no easy feat at 2g) - but the looks of shock on the doctor and other orange angles faces said it all - luckily Daniel and Philip were already staring at the ceiling and didn't notice. Prompted by the flight coordinator, I also practised sit-ups in the 2g phase - between working parabola - hard but excellent for the muscles...and I managed. it was much harder when he came to give me a hug and stayed on top of me for the first part of the 2g phase...

don't worry - i was focused and at an average of 4 fires per parabola we reached the end of our samples mid-way through parabola 21... 9 to go - and nothing to do,......??? ... way hey - finally time to release the straps and have some fun!!

My first free parabola i just hooked my leg under and left my hands free - we got some pictures of German, one of the students who had returned from Europe to Colombia before the flight campaign and was unable to join us in France - look he's in micro-gravity too.

German "in microgravity".

Next i was practising my meditation technique - sitting up in the free floating area for 2-g and then at "injection" wow - that's it - floating up to the ceiling - about 3/4 of the way up I bottled it and floated about a bit... then got my feet on the floor just in time to stand for 2g - wow the blood rushes from your head and you need to enure your legs are strong..the second time I tried with a lot more success to float in a meditation position and then curled in a ball and with a little help from a friend did a summersault in 0-g... here I am at the end of it...


So one more parabola later and a-lot of bodies in the free fall area - a mad Italian (male) student was spinning so hard he kicked me (but I was not exactly in control) - never the less he got told off by an angel and no-one felt sorry for him when one parabola later he was running from the experiment area even in the 2g phase bag over his mouth being very sick! Philipp had been watching the horizon out the window... its impossible to see the plane going at a 45 - 47 degree climb....but this is the closest you get - unless you go in the cockpit - also possible (I did it for the last parabola Wednesday), and Daniel went to see the view today - hoizron sky sky sky horizon sea sea sea.. horizon...

Gynmastics aside we then got the three crew together and Frederic (our faithful Novespace coordinator) took some photos of us floating by the experiment- I started lying on the floor for the 2g phase - hmm - bit too much blood loss in the last few parabolas... much better lying down.. that just feels like the compression you get a depth when scuba diving where as standing up you know something strange is going on...and no i was never sick nor did I feel sick but by parabola 25 yesterday i was tired!! (see videos) Anyhow it was cool to get photos of the kit and us floating around it - although on one two g phase I only managed to bend my knees and if you ever try 20 seconds of 2g with your knees bent and bum resting on your ankles (like in the frontstops position in a rowing boat / skull) argh...never have I been so glad of regular gravity. By parabola 28 I was tired -Philipp and Daniel disappeared off to the free float area - wow it is boring in flight without experiments to do - fun is fun but not all the 1g and 2g interruptions... - anyhow I videoed a few phases from my perspective and got Daniel to video me - and then wow after all the bard work - it was over.


A few bananas, crisps (I did share them with Frederic) and Mentos (fruity) later - and a bottle of water, it was time to fasten seat-belts and land in Bordeaux - the worst landing of the week - slapping the runway not kissing it..1.30pm - 4.5 hours after the doors closed.

A parabola is delayed a few minutes.

Well it was the end of successful campaign - we had a campaign photo in front of the plane, and then for us flyers it was off for our hard earned lunch - believe me one is VERY hungry after flying - preceded by a toilet stop - of course!!

Team members present in Bordeaux.

Whilst we ate and drank Bob and Demerese were working fast to back-up data and strip the rack padding to disconnect the control and experiment units. By the time I was back in the workshop at 3.30pm after debriefing and lunch - well wow - the rack was off the plane and we were ready to pack up.

A great team effort was undertaken, with copious amounts of sweating and in a very good natured way - we were all exceedingly tired, but by 6pm the whole shebang was packed onto 5 crates and ready to ship back to airliquide / Germany on Monday morning. Our faithful Prof B had had to leave Thursday morning - so we mailed him of course suggesting the flight was a disaster and .. no but we reassured him all was well - and checked he was home safe. Goodbyes began, between teams , staff at Novespace etc etc - and finally all our security passes giving access to the airport were removed from us - in return for our passports (or ID / expired Dutch residents permit... (who admits to having one of these in the team?)) - well then time for home.


It was a tired bunch that got home tonight at 7.30 pm - early for the fortnight - but we defied house rules, and ate in front of the plethora of labtops that were catching up on email with friends family and work colleagues, we treated ourselves to a well earned bread cheese red wine and whisky - and made it to bed dreaming of the next day's data analysis - by 9pm!!

Night night - sleep tight - more again from Demerese tomorrow....

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