Fly Your Thesis! 2017 - AML Space Group
AML Space Group is one of six student teams from all over Europe who recently performed - after more than a year of development – their Fly Your Thesis! 2017 experiments in the 'Zero-G' aircraft.
The main aim of the AML Space Group's BePoM experiment dealt with the idea of deploying pre-impregnated with polymer fiber fabrics into space and polymerizing them, thus creating a lightweight, high-stiffness, thin-shelled structure in space. This was achieved by two basic experiments. In the first experiment, uncured carbon fiber reinforced polymer tubes were stowed before flight and then deployed and cured during the micro-gravity duration of the parabolic flights, using UV light. In the second experiment, small uncured polymeric samples were also cured during the micro-gravity intervals of the parabolic flights.
Fly Your Thesis! is a recurring programme that ESA Education sponsors on a yearly basis. During the FYT! programme, students receive valuable feedback from ESA, Novespace, and European Low Gravity Research Association (ELGRA) experts; last but least, they get the extraordinary opportunity to execute their experiments in microgravity conditions on-board a state-of-the-art vehicle like the Novespace Zero-G aircraft, alongside professional researchers.
