Astronaut students training in free-fall. Astronaut candidates from both NASA and the Japanese space agency (JAXA) experiencing free-fall in a trainin
Astronaut students training in free-fall. Astronaut candidates from both NASA and the Japanese space agency (JAXA) experiencing free-fall in a training aircraft. This parabolic trajectory, flown in a KC-135 aircraft over the Gulf of Mexico, produces a few seconds of free-fall, replicating spaceflight conditions in Earth orbit. In a typical flight, 40 to 60 parabolas are flown (65 seconds each), with 25 seconds of free-fall each time. The US candidates here include Randolph James Bresnik (born 1967, left) and Shannon Walker (born 1965, right). Both have since flown missions in space. Photographed on 13 October 2004.
Size: 3623px × 2415px
Photo credit: © NASA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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