Miss Schwerelos.

Research in the Nosedive: A Uni-daring experiment, the 24-year-old Christina in a parabolic airplane. Between weightless Flick Flack examined the scientific evidence - at least until the syringe against nausea effect.

 

Christina turns a cigarette. It is already the second this morning, while Christina smokes usually not so much. Usually. But the engineering student is nervous. And the talks in the corner of smokers do not just help them to calm down: "The Americans did in the seventies was supposed to take a jet," says the bearded professor beside her laughing and pulling on his cigarette. "They have tried to weightlessness as long as possible and extend it just a bit exaggerated. Well, they are still a few university places become vacant."

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Video: JKR

Christina, 24, is struggling from a smile. Tomorrow they will even in such a jet increase, a converted Airbus A 300 of the French company Novespace, 116 tons, which specializes in so-called parabolic flights. 30 times, the pilot, the machine in the steep angle into the air and then chase the engines throttle. For the occupants a
Roller coaster experience through the clouds: they are first with the dual gravity down to the ground, then they are for a half minute weightless.

And all because of two centimeters. How big could the water droplets, which in the experiment of Christina's team from the University of Darmstadt in weightlessness created. "We investigate the flow behavior of water droplets on porous surfaces," says Christina and removes a dark-blonde hair from his forehead.

Hunting of the giant drop

On the earth are due to gravity only two-millimeter-tiny generate. In weightlessness, however, water droplets can be significantly larger. "So we can enlarge the scale and accurately observe what happens to the drops on different materials will happen," says Christina.

When she told the experiments, it is factually very quickly. Up to the last detail, it will end herunterbeten. Finally, they experiment with their first study prepared for work. Your supervisor, Andreas Lembach, comes straight out of the simple container buildings of Novespace, which borders the airport Bordeaux. Christina puts the cigarette out, there's work.

Safety inspection of the experiments on board: Christina and Andreas crouch in the belly of the Airbus next to a Plexiglas box, a staff member at Novespace inspected the construction. Droplet generator, laptop, video camera - everything had to be tightened firmly Andreas, sharp edges are pasted over with silver tape, so that in weightless mess nobody can violate.

Christina is perforated Plexiglas panes exchange for each test series once. In order not wegzudriften of weightlessness, it is with red straps fasten to the ground. "It's pretty uncomfortable, I think I have all the time kneel and twist the head," she says. The security people have no objection, the green light.

Pill or syringe

14 experiments should take this parabolic flight campaign of the European Space Agency ESA fly. It's about cell cultures, dust particles and nanoparticles. But Christina is absent, as the teams in the afternoon in their attempts poorly ventilated auditorium imagine. Even when Vladimir the microphone in your hands.

INTERACTIVE GRAPHICS

Novespace

Researching in FreiflugSo does a parabolic flight

Vladimir is Novespace flight coordinator, has already more than 5000 parabolas behind and the reputation of being newcomers like fear. "Very important: You must first open up the Kotztüte before she closes her, ok?" Says the Frenchman tiefgebräunte. The room laughs, Vladimir grins, Christina looks pained. "I do not know if I use the pill or injection to take," she says.

It's about Hyoscine. The drug, which in the fifties as a truth serum was used, attenuates the nausea and therefore all flights as a first injection is recommended. "But a colleague of mine is from the syringe into fainted," says Christina.

The bearded professor, two rows behind her appeases its Art "In the past they have against the fatigue additionally given amphetamines. Two years ago, but they stopped because of the Narcotics Law," he says, grinning. Take forward the flight doctor and gives the microphone last tips: "No alcohol tonight, and only a light dinner. And when the flight is always easy to stomach muscles tense up, then wabbeln the intestines in the abdomen not around." The light dinner with Christina is not difficult.

Do not move your head!

For a cigarette is now no more time. Christina is in the snake room before the doctor, nor an hour to start. All are already the sack-like blue overalls with Esa logo, with the many zippered pockets, because everything else afterwards herumfliegt. Christina is now very different for the decided syringe. "But I would only get half the dose, I hope that is enough anyway," she says. Your supervisor Andreas reassured her. He flies for the second time and becomes more concerned about the experiment than the Kotztüte, previously each was handed over.

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Then Christina's turn. The Hyoscine it can inject into the abdomen. She is a little dizzy, as the gangway on the Airbus hochsteigt and Andreas anschnallt next. The speakers crack, the pilot mumbled a brief welcome and tears the next moment the machine in the sky.

Christina is in the seat down, the jet controls the southern coast of France. "Is so good that I will fly on the first day," says Christina. "But at the moment I would be just happy if I am not from the syringe tip over."

"Pull up", it sounds from the loudspeaker, the pilot goes over the Atlantic Ocean in the climb over. In the 47-degree angle, the nose of the Airbus to the top at all now weighs twice due to gravity. Now do not move your head, otherwise plays the crazy sense of balance. Christina Schneider sits in the seat in the "free float" area, which is divided with nets, and fixed the padded floor. Five seconds, three, two. "Injection", reported the pilot, and suddenly dissolves the lead weighing several tons, which is still through the veins seemed to flow in thin air: Christina floats.

Vladimir from the safety crew swirls a few times back and forth like a doll, her shoulder length hair dancing around her face. "Open your eyes", he calls on them to Christina opens his eyes and laughs. Forget the nervousness, forget the Kotztüte in the side pocket, forget the horror stories of the bearded professor. "20, 30, pull out," croaks the speaker, and Vladimir Cristina pushes back on the ground, so they do not fall too low, again if the dual gravity acts on them. Christina still smiles when she is between the other experiments to Andreas and the Drop-zurückschlängelt experiment.

Eleven minutes of weightlessness

"This is really fun," she says. "Now I have to work. The first parabolas, I had been cleared for me to get used to weightlessness." You slip into the green gloves and change gelöcherte Plexiglas disc, which the large droplets in weightlessness will be taken.

After a few minutes, the regular routine for floating - not a bad little Christina. Your supervisor is Andreas, however, after 30 parabolas little pale around the nose. "Since then had it out the bag excuse, but the drop is where he should be out, and this was the critical point."

The pilot continues to landing at, Christina wanders from the rubber gloves. Gigabyteweise data, both collected in each experiment filmed with high-speed camera. The evaluation will last: Back in Hesse Darmstadt, they will examine the measurements and also with the results of study work Christinas compare.

"Now I regret it's that I just may fly today," she says and jumps, the last steps down the gangway. It is not collapsed, it is not bad has a total of eleven minutes it floated weightless in the air. Darmstadt is just very far away.