Czech research in the field of microgravity

The European Low Gravity Research Association (ELGRA) published new issue of the ELGRA Newsletter in December 2010, which can also be downloaded an electronic version (pdf, 3 MB). The newsletter contains organizational affairs, results of interesting experiments and at the last but not least reports from national delegates. ELGRA president Dr. Jack J. W. A. Van Loon asked Czech Space Office for short text contribution to section of national activities. For the first time, the report on Czech research in the field of microgravity is in ELGRA Newsletter.

Today, most of the Czech microgravity activities are realized through ESA – concretely three experiments. First project’s objective is the determination of the radiation field parameters absorbed dose and dose equivalent inside the International Space Station (ISS), aiming for a concise three dimensional dose distribution map. This project follows-up older DOSIS/DOBIES experiment. Two further projects focus on metabolic and cardio-vascular demands and on effects of in-flight exercise countermeasures, effects of different exercise intensities, and modes of the kinetics of gas-exchange and the cardio-vascular system.

Fig. 1: The container for the BASE-B/C experiment with detectors. Credits: NPI AS CR

The ongoing project European Laser Timing (ELT) is being fully realized by Czech companies. The ELT will be part of the Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES) mission, which will be attached to the outside of Columbus laboratory module in 2014. The purpose of the ELT experiment is to synchronize the atomic clocks in space to the others on the ground.

The ELGRA organize symposium entitled "Gravity: from µ to x !" in Antwerp (Belgium) on 6 - 9 September 2011. Deadline for entering abstracts is 15 April 2011. See ELGRA website http://www.elgra.org/ for more details.