Weigh to go: UAE students take flight in zero gravity

MBRSC competition winners experience zero gravity 30,000 feet above the ground in specially modified Boeing 727

UAE students experienced zero gravity 30,000 feet above the ground. Courtesy Zero Gravity Corporation

Daring students swapped the UAE for the US to take part a zero gravity flight 30,000 feet above the ground.

A total of 20 space enthusiasts were chosen by the Mohammad bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) to take part in a parabolic flight to test their experiments 30,000 feet above the ground on Zero Gravity Corporation's  Weightless Research Lab in Orlando, Florida.

The flight took place in a specially modified Boeing 727.

UAE students, aged 16 and over, were eligible to contact the MBRSC from May to July 2018, with details about what excited them most about zero gravity and why they should be chosen for the project.

The organisation selected the students who showed “a serious passion for space and an understanding of precious research done on the International Space Station”.

“The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) spares no effort to encourage youth to engage in national space programmes,” said Adnan Al Rais, Mars 2117 Project Manager at MBRSC.

“Our space programmes aim to prepare and train youth to serve national strategies and initiatives for space exploration.”

These include the Mars 2117 Strategy, which aims to establish the first inhabitable human settlement on Mars by 2117.

“The MBRSC cooperates with international entities to move forward with the ambitious programmes that have established the UAE’s position among leading countries that invest in space,” said Mr Al Rais.

“Working with the UAE Mars 2117 Initiative has shown us the impact our Weightless Research Lab is having across the world,” said Terese Brewster, CEO of Zero Gravity Corporation

“The UAE ZERO-G programme embraces space education by making access to microgravity research a possibility for students.”

The Zero Gravity Corporation is a privately held space entertainment and tourism company whose mission is to make the experience of being in space accessible to the public.

Research flights are conducted twice a year with universities, corporations and private organisations looking for a microgravity test platform.

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