ESA - Robotic Exploration of Mars - Participants of the parabolic flight tests

During a parabolic flight campaign that ran from 7 to 9 June 2011, Europe’s Airbus A300 Zero-G, operated by Novespace, performed a series of flights simulating for the first time lunar (0.16 g) and Martian (0.4 g) gravity conditions.

This photo shows participants of the parabolic flight tests, after the final flight.

The ExoMars dosing station, a part of the Sample Preparation and Distribution System (SPDS) which is designed to transport Martian soil samples collected by the drill to the instruments inside the ExoMars rover was also tested under these special gravity conditions.