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ESA opens doors for students to carry out experiments in the field of their theses

(available only in English)

The European Space Agency (ESA) has opened applications for three programs, Fly Your Thesis!, Spin Your Thesis! and Drop Your Thesis! with applications running until September 9, November 25, and November 4, respectively.

The Program Fly Your Thesis! Program allows teams to design, build and test their experiments on a parabolic flight, which is scheduled for the end of 2019. In the application they must detail the experiments they intend to perform and describe how these are a key part of their master's or doctoral theses, and the subject of the experiments must require microgravity conditions.

 In its 10th edition, the Spin Your Thesis! Program challenges students to test their experiments under hypergravity conditions on ESA's Large Diameter Centrifuge (LDC). This centrifuge is eight meters in diameter, performs experiments with up to 80 kg of mass, and when spinning simulates the force of gravity up to 20 times that tested on the Earth's surface.

With the Drop Your Thesis! Program, participants will be able to observe a drop of their experiment at a height of 120 meters, which during this time reaches "microgravity" similar to the perpetual free fall of being in orbit. This opportunity to "drop" your essay into a specialized facility is a more affordable option than launching it into space.

Through these programs, students have the opportunity to perform assays, tests, and experiments as part of their master's and doctoral theses, in an environment different from that of the laboratories where they carry out their analyses and studies.