On Thursday, Luxembourg witnessed a historic event as the country’s first-ever zero gravity (zero G) flight took off from Findel Airport. This unique experience granted 35 young people, aptly dubbed “astronauts for a day,” the rare opportunity to experience the weightlessness of space.
The young explorers were selected from 221 candidates after a number of tests. At the end of the competition, 30 of them were designated ‘titular’ astronauts for the day and five others ‘reserve astronauts’.
The allure of defying gravity has long been a dream shared by many, and this privilege was once exclusively reserved for astronauts and aerospace experts. However, thanks to “zero G” flights, also known as parabolic flights, the experience has become accessible to a wider audience.
The term parabolic flight designates an aeroplane flight that creates weightlessness for around 20 seconds during a controlled free fall.
This flight, conducted aboard an Airbus A310 by Novespace and organised by the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA), presented 35 young people aged between 13 and 19 with a series of distinct gravity experiences. These included a parabola simulating Martian gravity, two mimicking lunar gravity, and an impressive twelve rounds of true weightlessness, i.e., zero G.
At the end of the flight, which lasted around two hours, the participants, accompanied by Minister of the Economy Franz Fayot, were welcomed on the airport tarmac by HRH the Grand Duke, Minister of Sport Georges Engel, Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA) Josef Aschbacher, and LSA Director Marc Serres.
After their exhilarating journey, the participants, along with their parents and teachers, gathered for a “welcome back” luncheon at the airport. These 35 adolescents have been chosen to serve as “space ambassadors” for the 2023/2024 school year. Their role will involve engaging in various space-related events and activities, with a focus on promoting the sector within their respective communities.
In a notable upcoming event, they will embark on a visit to the astronaut training centre in Cologne in November.
At present, no details on future application processes are available. For further information, visit astronautforaday.lu.
