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Ballistocraft: a novel facility for microgravity research.

D Mesland1, D Paris, R Huijser

  • 1Microgravity Payload Projects Division, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.

ESA Bulletin. Bulletin ASE. European Space Agency
|May 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary

A new unmanned aircraft, the ballistocraft, offers a low-cost microgravity research facility. Flight tests demonstrated its automated parabolic flight capability for short-duration experiments.

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Area of Science:

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Physics
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • European Space Agency (ESA) provides microgravity research facilities.
  • Current facilities include drop towers, sounding rockets, parabolic flights, and orbital spacecraft.
  • Existing large aircraft like the French 'Caravelle' offer significant payload volume and human presence for experiments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential of a small, unmanned aircraft, the 'ballistocraft', as a flexible microgravity exposure facility.
  • To provide a low-cost, complementary facility for frequent, repetitive microgravity experimentation.
  • To assess the feasibility of automated parabolic flights for laboratory-type payloads.

Main Methods:

  • A breadboard of the ballistocraft facility was constructed.

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  • Flight tests were conducted to evaluate the system's performance.
  • An on-board controller's ability to achieve automated parabolic, one-g, zero-g, and partial-g flights was assessed.

    • Main Results:

    • The on-board controller successfully demonstrated automated parabolic flight capabilities.
    • The controller's performance was evaluated for one-g, zero-g, and partial-g setpoints.
    • Partial-g flight capabilities were identified as a unique and valuable feature.

    Conclusions:

    • The ballistocraft shows promise as a low-cost, flexible microgravity research facility.
    • Automated control systems enable precise microgravity and partial-g exposure.
    • This facility complements existing options for short-duration microgravity experimentation.