Astronaut basic training: parabolic flight

ESA’s new generation of astronauts had a taste of space on the special Airbus ‘Zero G’ A310 aircraft. They were supported by experienced European astronauts and instructors during several parabolic flights in Bordeaux, France.

Parabolic flight campaigns recreate the 'weightless’ conditions similar to those experienced in space, and are often used to run science experiments, validate space instruments and train astronauts before spaceflight. ESA's latest astronaut recruits flew through repeated parabolas that gave them brief bursts of microgravity. They flew through 30 parabolas per flight, with up to 22 seconds of microgravity at a time. In total, the passengers experienced around 10 minutes of weightlessness inside the aircraft at the top of each parabolic manoeuvre.

The campaign offered the astronaut candidates a glimpse of their future working conditions. A first flight helped them familiarise their bodies with the challenges of inertia and orientation in weightlessness. While movements do not require any effort, stopping and controlling one's motion need practice.
During the second flight the crew took turns on several training worksites to handle tools, such as screwdrivers, and moved along the cabin using tethers, handrails and spacesuit gloves. One of the exercises saw them performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques on others, better known as CPR.