The main difference between life on the International Space Station (ISS) and life here on terra firma is microgravity, which forces you to float around rather than walk.
To prepare newbie astronauts for such conditions, NASA, or in this case, the European Space Agency (ESA), takes new astronauts on special flights that are able to imitate — albeit briefly — the space station’s microgravity environment. The important training enables the astronauts to get used to moving, working, and even jumping in microgravity. If they get really good, they’ll be able to dance, too.
ESA recently shared a fascinating video (top) showing what it’s like to experience one of these so-called “parabolic flights,” which are a key part of an astronaut’s training.
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As the video shows, the “Air Zero G” aircraft — an Airbus A310 — creates the condition of weightlessness by climbing sharply for 20 seconds before dropping for 22 seconds. During this brief but sharp descent, the trainee astronauts can float around the cabin, giving them some idea of what it’ll be like aboard the ISS.
Each parabola takes about one minute to complete, with the process repeated 31 times in one flight to provide a total of about 10 minutes of zero gravity conditions.
The video shows ESA astronaut Rosemary Coogan climbing aboard the aircraft for a parabolic flight. Prior to takeoff, Coogan offers a quick tour of the airplane, which includes a small seating area where everyone straps in during the ascent and also the return part of the flight.
Beyond the seating area is where the all the action takes place. Cleared of seats, the large open space gives astronauts and trainers plenty of room to move around, although free floating is confined to a relatively small area surrounded by safety netting.
What’s it like to float in the air? “It’s hard to compare it to anything on Earth,” says the presenter. “For me, the closest feeling might be floating in water but without the resistance or ability to steer yourself.”
Another section of the aircraft is given over to researchers, providing them with a space where they can conduct science experiments in microgravity conditions without leaving Earth’s atmosphere.
While the period of weightlessness aboard the flights only lasts for a brief period of time, astronauts on the ISS have to live in such microgravity conditions around the clock for months on end. To find out more about what it’s like to exist in such an environment, check out these videos made by the astronauts themselves during missions aboard the orbital outpost.