Developing a microgravity simulation platform using jet aircraft

This project aims to deepen our understanding of microgravity and its impact on aircraft performance, with the goal of improving the safety and efficiency of pilots and aircraft. The project will leverage the emerging capabilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to simulate, model, and analyse flight performance in microgravity conditions.

It proposes a matrix model framework that combines computational studies with mathematical evaluations to improve pilot safety by analysing aircraft performance. The matrix model captures the pilot’s tacit knowledge for training and optimising aircraft parameters.

The proposed AI-based microgravity simulation matrix can be used to predict and mitigate risks, thus improving the safety of pilots and aircraft. The research will open new avenues in space exploration, including space farming, mining, and future space settlement endeavours.

Participants

• Swinburne University of Technology
• Elektrika

Project background

Microgravity, often referred to as zero gravity, is a state of very low near-zero gravitational force. This condition is largely encountered in space or in places that are falling freely under the influence of gravity, such as on the International Space Station.

Studying phenomena in a microgravity environment provides unique insights that

are hard or impossible to gain on Earth, where gravity can mask certain characteristics and behaviours of physical, biological, and chemical systems. Understanding microgravity is crucial to a range of research fields, and it has practical implications for technology, human health, and the preparation for future space missions.

In a microgravity environment, scientists can study fluid dynamics, combustion, material sciences, effects on living organisms, chemical reactions, space settlements and other physical phenomena without the distortive effect of gravity.

Due to technical, cost and time constraints, ground-based microgravity research is a feasible option currently to simulate microgravity. A common method for creating a microgravity environment is to fly an aircraft in a parabolic path. For the duration of the parabola, the environment is accelerated towards the earth at precisely 1G (approximately 9.8m/s2), thus eliminating any reaction force between the aircraft and the experiment.

Such experiments are routinely performed in heavy aircraft (e.g.: Airbus A310 as used by the by the ESA or various Boeing aircraft or NASA). In such aircraft each parabola lasts for approximately 20 seconds and is typically repeated 25 times. This research will help benchmark the performance of jet aircraft in microgravity environment and enhance safety of the pilot.

Microgravity research has provided us with a wealth of invaluable insights. However, both ground-based and space-based testing environments present several challenges and limitations. Ground-based microgravity simulations such as drop towers, parabolic flights, and sounding rockets can only create short periods of microgravity, ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes.

These experiments come with huge cost burdens and time implications. The pilots are subjected to health risks due to frequent test runs to simulate microgravity. Currently there are gaps in this area due to the complexity of biological systems and the difficulty of simulating space conditions over extended periods. There is no matrix to correlate the performance of aircraft, space shuttles and humans with certainty under microgravity environment.

Additionally, the pilot’s time and knowledge are valuable and any risk to their safety are of prime concern to everyone involved in the experiment. These challenges encourage the industry to develop a cost effective, time efficient, safety enhanced method to evaluate microgravity experiments.

This research could also involve space farming, space mining and potential space settlement for future endeavours.

Project objectives

The objectives of this project are to:

1. Develop a novel AI based microgravity simulation matrix for safety, risk and performance analysis.
2. Establish validations through real world experimentation with bespoke instrumentation to validate and establish a benchmark for various light jet aircraft.
3. Establish potential future proof specifically for space applications based on evaluated datasets

Please note …

This page will be a living record of this project. As it matures, hits milestones, etc., we’ll continue to add information, links, images, interviews and more. Watch this space!