Student scientists win space experiment competition
Posted on 17 May 2001
One of the York experiments has been chosen for a Russian space trial in 2002.
Thirty teams were chosen for the project, and the two York teams are amongst only four selected from the UK. Each team member will fly on board the Airbus 300 zero-g aircraft in July with their experiments.
After take-off, the aeroplane will launch itself into a flight path resembling that which a ball takes (powering up by 45 degrees and then diving); this causes everyone aboard to experience around twenty seconds of weightlessness. This manoeuvre is completed 30 times in each flight. It is during these periods of weightlessness that the teams will perform their experiments.
One York team, led by Tony Wilkinson, and including David Waterman, John Howe and Neil Melville, will examine the way in which crystallisation occurs in micro-gravity.
The other York team, led by Sieglinde Pfaendler, and including Andrew Fox, John Birkett and Paul Blair will complete experiments on the effect of micro-gravity (weightlessness) on surfactants. Surfactants are the materials used in hair conditioners and detergents. This experiment will not only be run on the parabolic flight by the team, but has been selected to be sent into space on the unmanned Russian FOTON satellite in 2002.
Conducting experiments in a micro-gravity environment allows researchers to understand and to improve fundamental physical, chemical and biological processes on Earth that are important in science, engineering and technology.
The students are currently seeking sponsorship to help cover the costs of participating in the flights; in order to qualify for the flight, each student has to undertake medical checks costing £200 each.
Notes to editors:
- The students are all undergraduates in the University of York's Department of Physics. Some are finalists who are currently also studying for their final exams whilst preparing their parabolic flight experiment.
- The Department of Physics scored 24 out of 24 in the Quality Assurance Agency's subject review and was rated 4 in the Research Assessment Exercise. The Department has about 246 students.