We have posted online the past
several weeks that we are currently gearing up for a new parabolic flight
campaign in Houston, TX. But what is involved in a parabolic flight campaign? What is a parabolic flight? And why do we even do them? Hopefully, this brief overview will answer
these questions, or at least provide an initial framework for where to go next.
A parabolic flight campaign is
the entire mission associated with the parabolic flights. For this campaign, that involved a pre-Test
Readiness Review (TRR) on Friday, June 5th, followed by the actual
TRR the following Monday (as well as loading the plane and installing
hardware), four consecutive flight days (Tuesday-Friday), unloading the
aircraft on Friday, with a backup day on Saturday. Since we study plants, that means all of our
planting must be done beforehand, and must be done so that each day, we can
have the same age of plants. For this
campaign, that means planting dormant plates and activating them in a staggered
pattern, so that we can have (for example) 8 day old plants on Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Since
we will be in Texas, and not close to UF, we also have to arrange travel,
lodging, meals, and set up a portable workstation and laboratory to do the work
we need to do while we are there. A lot
of planning goes into one of these campaigns, usually starting about three
months before we depart. But it is this
planning that makes these campaigns possible—and the more planning, the more
successful it is too.
Image credit: "Zero gravity flight trajectory C9-565" by NASA
- C-9B Flight Trajectory, NASA Reduced Gravity Research Program. Licensed under
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zero_gravity_flight_trajectory_C9-565.jpg#/media/File:Zero_gravity_flight_trajectory_C9-565.jpg
A parabolic flight uses
commercial aircraft to achieve true zero gravity by adjusting its angle of
flight. The diagram (above) shows one
parabola and how the plane is able to achieve this altered gravity state. In our case, we will fly forty parabolas in
one flight, for a campaign total of 160 parabolas. We depart and arrive at Ellington Airport
(formerly Ellington Field) in Houston, TX.
What about the nickname, “Vomit Comet?”
Though it is not the official name of the aircraft (that would be
“Weightless Wonder”), it does accurately reflect the relatively high rate of
motion sickness induced by this kind of a flight pattern. Anti-motion sickness medication is usually
administered to all flyers prior to each flight, and from experience, they
really do work. The flight is very
smooth also. Save for an abrupt end to
each of the zero gravity portions, the rest of the flight is more akin to a
boat’s motion than a roller coaster.
Weightlessness is truly a unique feeling.
We use parabolic flight to see
rapid responses to zero gravity, hyper gravity, and changes in gravity in
general. NASA has used parabolic flight
in the past to train astronauts, and many other institutions and organizations
have used them for testing their systems and techniques in zero gravity, prior
to true spaceflight. Being a plant space
biology laboratory, we are particularly interested in plant response to
gravity. Plants have not evolved to
respond specifically to zero gravity, and thus in order to adapt to this new
environment; they must engage previously-existing pathways. What parabolic flight allows us is to look at
what happens first—the plant’s initial response to a change in gravity, whether
that is from normal 1g to 2g (beginning of the parabola), 2g to 0g (middle), or
0g to 2g (end). Spaceflight allows us to
look at adaptation to a prolonged zero gravity environment, which is extremely
valuable. Combined with parabolic
flight, we can generate a more complete picture of how plants respond to
changes in gravity.
Here is Dr. Paul explaining a little more about what it is like to ride on the "Vomit Comet".
