- What is the Aether Zero G (A0G) stratospheric shuttle.
A0G is a small aircraft capable of supersonic flight , which purpose is to provide quality microgravity environment for 45 seconds inside its cargo bay. The shuttle will be able to integrate various experimental payloads within its design, all of which will be required to have simple USB output which will be connected to on-board hard drive recording the data from the experiments. The shuttle will be capable of multiple flights given successful landing.
- Why do we need microgravity environment.
Microgravity, also called weightlessness or zero gravity, is the absence of gravity. It is best illustrated by astronauts floating in their spacecraft. They are floating because they are in a microgravity environment. Besides astronauts, many people experience microgravity every day by riding roller coasters or jumping off diving boards. It is the “free fall” period of these activities when the microgravity occurs and of course only lasts for a short period of time.
Microgravity can be used as a special tool for a better understanding of fundamental questions and for the solution of problems on Earth. This allows to improve and to optimize physical, chemical and biological processes on Earth that are important in science, medicine, engineering and technology for all of us. Although these studies began with a purely scientific interest, results from basic research can lead to practical applications with a major industrial and economic impact, as was the case for the development of semiconductors.
The absence of gravitational effects in a microgravity environment means, for example, that temperature differences in a fluid do not produce convection, buoyancy or sedimentation. The physical picture is thus simplified and underlying processes can be more readily observed and analyzed. The changes in fluid behavior in microgravity lie at the heart of the studies in materials science, combustion and many aspects of space biology and life sciences.
- What are the are the advantages of our project over existing methods for creating micro gravity environment
In today’s world exist several methods for obtaining microgravity:
Drop tower. The payload is simply dropped off the top of the tower and allowed to fall. This can provide 2 seconds of microgravity and with tremendous negative accelaration (about 40-50 g) towards the end of the experiment.
Parabolic Airplane Flights. The semi-famous example is the NASA Vomit Comet which is also used to train astronauts to work in a microgravity environment. This method can provide 25 seconds.
Sounding rocket. The rocket goes up and comes down in the same general vicinity, never getting into orbit. Today’s sounding rockets can provide between 3 to 9 minutes of microgravity for payloads weighing around 1000 pounds and still experiencing vast accelaration and vibrations during take off and landing. These conditions somewhat limit the capabilities for researchers to test various experiment as the bigger part of them will be destroyed. 
Space Shuttle or International Space Station.
The microgravity quality on the ISS can be excellent although there are periods when accelerations and vibrations from visiting spacecraft, the need to regularly boost the orbit and the disturbances due to the crew themselves can reduce the standard. The great facility that the ISS offers is the opportunity for astronauts to carry out science, hands on. It is of course also the only microgravity platform where research in to human physiology can be carried out over long periods.
The specific advantages of the ISS include:
- Regular and frequent transport of material to and from the microgravity laboratory facilities.
- The permanent presence of the highly trained crew in order to carry out established experimental procedures as well as carrying out ‘trouble shooting’ when the unexpected happens.
- The ability to carry out extended human physiology experiments in microgravity.
- Access to specialised laboratory modules designed to carry out experiments in materials science, fluid science, foam and emulsion science, biology, human physiology and many other areas. In addition facilities are available that can accommodate ‘experiment specific’ equipment.
Such benefits do of course have drawbacks, specifically:
- The delay between the approval of an experiment and its implementation is usually measured in years.
- The well being of the ISS crew is the highest priority and so safety restrictions are extremely strict.
A0G – Capable of maintaining 45 seconds of high quality microgravity free of external vibrations at a competitive price. Safe and smooth landing ensuring the structural integrity of the shuttle and no harm for the on-board experiments. Simple flexible design with high reusability and minimal number moving parts.
Waiting to be deployed
- What are the main issues we are facing
Maybe our biggest challenge will be landing the craft as smoothly as possible. We are currently working on several very promising ideas including building a small air stripe.
We will put a emphasis on the stability of the flight and for the moment we are planing to use the reservoirs of the propulsion system as gyroscopes so that we can minimize the weight of the craft as much as possible. It will be an engineering challenge but we are optimistic.
It will be great if we succeed in landing the shuttle like a regular air plane, but this in the other hand will put a big strain on the performance of the auto-pilot system. It have to be capable of maintaining high precision while stirring the A0G.
Thanks for reading, this is our project for the moment will make sure to keep you up to date of our work. Onwards and Upwards Friends!!
Strato Shuttle Project Blog 