VESTAND 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 primary objective of this project was to determine how gravity contributes to the response to artificial vestibular stimulation, and the context driven modulation of these responses that normally occur. The team used electrical vestibular stimulation as a tool used to perturb the vestibular system (i.e. the balance system) without activating other sensory channels.
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.