The Polish students from Team M.A.C.K.I. and the students from Team NeurO2flight, comprising participants from Austria, Germany, and the United Kingdom, successfully completed their experiments in microgravity during the 85th ESA parabolic flight campaign onboard Novespace’s Airbus A310 AirZeroG flying out of Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport in November 2024. Team M.A.C.K.I. evaluated the efficacy of an active entanglement gripper for the capture of objects in microgravity, while Team NeurO2flight investigated the combined impact of microgravity and hypoxia on cerebral blood flow, oxygenation and electrocortical activity to compare it to cognitive performance.
As the capture of space debris represents a significant challenge, the M.A.C.K.I. team is assessing the capability and efficacy of their soft robotic gripper, comprising elastomeric filaments, in catching objects in microgravity. The filaments permit greater flexibility and adaptability in the object to be caught, which could prove invaluable in the capture of space debris.
The objective of the NeurO2flight experiment is to gain deeper insights into the ability of crew members to maintain optimal performance in hypoxic conditions. To this end, the team tested the cognitive performance and monitored the cerebral blood flow, oxygenation and electrocortical activity of human test subjects in those conditions. This was conducted to gain insight into the design of the next generation of spacecraft and habitats, which may be operated in hypobaric hypoxia.
In February 2024, Project M.A.C.K.I. and NeurO2flight were selected to participate in the ESA Academy Experiments Programme, wherein they would conduct their experiment in a parabolic flight in Bordeaux. Following the successful completion of the teams’ preparation, testing, and approval, both teams were able to officially participate in the campaign, which was conducted from the 28 October to the 8 November 2024.
The first week of the campaign was dedicated to the final adjustments on the ground, including the finalisation of the racks with their respective equipment.
Once the requisite security checks had been completed, the teams proceeded, with the assistance of Novespace, to integrate their racks into the aircraft. Subsequently, the teams were given a period of time to rehearse their procedures and particular points of attention in advance of the flight. On the final day of the first week, Novespace conducted a comprehensive examination of all experiments, certifying their readiness for flight without any safety concerns.
During the second week, three flight days were scheduled. During the microgravity phase, Team NeurO2flight primarily monitored cerebral blood flow, electrocortical activity, and neurocognitive performance in subjects undergoing hypoxia, among other parameters. With regard to Team M.A.C.K.I., the three flights enabled the testing of a variety of gripping techniques, performed at varying speeds and sequences, with different test objects and in different positions.
All flights were successful, allowing both teams to gather sufficient data. Following the final flight, the teams removed the racks from the plane and proceeded to return to their respective universities, where they will process the data and prepare scientific publications.
