From 18 to 21 October, 2 pilots, 2 engineers and 2 AM doctors are training at the French base in Bordeaux. The main objective of the campaign was the development of the COSMIC (Combustion Synthesis under Microgravity Conditions) project, which aims to analyse the process of synthesising lunar or Martian material under microgravity conditions. This process, patented by the University of Cagliari and the ASI, will be used to produce structural elements directly in space using material already available.
Over the three days of activity, the Italian Air Force personnel (2 pilots from the Flight Test Centre, 2 engineers and 2 medical doctors) flew on the A-300, directly verifying how the manoeuvres are carried out, the necessary crew coordination and the aircraft's behaviour during zero-g phases. The simulation of these environmental conditions is achieved at the apex of a parabolic trajectory, which begins with a pull-up with loads of up to 1.8 g and ends with a dive in free-fall conditions. In this way, the Italian Air Force was able to directly experience a type of flight normally used for astronaut training.
The initiative is part of the broader framework of cooperation between the AM and the ASI in the human spaceflight sector and within the strategy of the Armed Force, aimed at enhancing its environmental expertise in the aerospace sector.
