Successful mission of a German gravity capsule in China
Successful mission of a German gravity capsule in China
Keywords Gravity,Kayser-Threde
The German gravity capsule MIKROBA recently carried out its mission within the framework of a German-Chinese science co-operation. Munich's space company Kayser-Threde developed the capsule together with OHB-System GmbH of Bremen, which was prime and supported the mission.
MIKROBA has a mass of approximately 200kg and was lifted by means of a stratospherics balloon (roughly the size of a football pitch) to a height of 40km where it was then released. Four microgravity experiments were carried out during the phase of free fall,which lasted for one minute. Scientists already have access to the experiments to begin their evaluation.
Four experiments investigating the effect of weightlessness were integrated on-board MIKROBA. The University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim contributed to this mission with a lipid membrane experiment. A Ciliate-experiment dealt with the behaviour of slipper animalcule under weightlessness. The Institute of Engineering Thermophysics/CAS delivered a gas-jet experiment and the Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics/CAS conducted a cell fusion experiment.
Ten minutes after the huge balloon (gas volume: 400,000m3) reached the required height of 40km,MIKROBA was separated from the balloon and the four experiments started. A parachute system and air bags ensured safe touch-down. Immediately after MIKROBA's recovery, the experiments were taken from the capsule. Both the capsule and the experiments were then transported to the integration hall and handed over to the German and Chinese scientists for evaluation purposes.
