Airborne Microgravity Experiments

Collaborating with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Institute for Aerospace Research (IAR) has developed two of its aircraft as microgravity platforms.

Microgravity Platforms

Canadian investment in the Space Station Freedom will ensure that Canadians get significant periods of time on board the station. The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has developed a program to promote the profitable use of that time. In order to ensure that proposed processes or equipment have a good chance of working successfully in a zero gravity environment, pretests are made in aircraft specially modified for short periods of zero 'G' parabolic flight. In the past, the CSA has relied largely on the NASA KC-135, based in Houston, to provide this service. In 1988, the IAR T-33 aircraft was enlisted for this purpose. While the T-33 was more readily available to Canadian users, only limited size experiments would fit due to its small cargo carrying capacity. As a result of increased demand for zero 'G' time and limitations to the T-33 operation, the IAR acquired a Falcon 20 aircraft to, among other things, further support the CSA microgravity flight requirements.

With the Falcon 20 microgravity facility, IAR collaborates with the CSA in assisting Canadian industries and universities in both life sciences and materials research. Materials such as high quality glass or superconducting substances developed in the absence of gravitational forces promise to have unique properties when compared to counterparts developed on earth. These properties should promote major advances in capabilities in many areas. Life sciences experiments related to problems in people's adaptation to the earth-orbit environment and are designed to improve efficiency in accomplishing tasks in space, thus potentially increasing profitability for those processes performed in orbit. Examining both life and material sciences processes in the absence of gravitational forces will allow scientists to gain a deeper understanding of how certain earth-bound processes work, thus opening the way for improvements which will ultimately increase efficiency, profitability and the quality of life on earth.

See also: Falcon 20.

Typical microgravity flight trajectory.

With the Falcon 20 microgravity facility, IAR collaborates with the CSA in assisting Canadian industries and universities in both life sciences and materials research. Materials such as high quality glass or superconducting substances developed in the absence of gravitational forces promise to have unique properties when compared to counterparts developed on earth. These properties should promote major advances in capabilities in many areas. Life sciences experiments related to problems in people's adaptation to the earth-orbit environment and are designed to improve efficiency in accomplishing tasks in space, thus potentially increasing profitability for those processes performed in orbit. Examining both life and material sciences processes in the absence of gravitational forces will allow scientists to gain a deeper understanding of how certain earth-bound processes work, thus opening the way for improvements which will ultimately increase efficiency, profitability and the quality of life on earth.

See also: Falcon 20.