‘Captain Bright One’, the university’s teddy bear mascot, flew with researchers as the pilot took the plane on an upward trajectory and then reduced thrust and pushed the stick to achieve weightlessness.
The researchers used the European Space Agency (ESA) flights to test a ground-breaking system that has the potential to revolutionise the way heat can be managed – a crucial requirement for satellites and other space craft.
The research is being led by Professor Marco Marengo, Professor of Engineering in the university’s School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics. He said: “Due to the complete absence of air and the violent extremes in temperature in space, satellites, for example, require a thermal radiation screen in order to limit both the excessive heat from the sun and release of heat to the cold of outer space.”