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On 8 and 9 May, researchers conducted parabolic flights at Sabadell Airport near Barcelona, creating short periods of weightlessness similar to the conditions experienced by astronauts in space. The project was led by Elisa Raffaella Ferrè, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, alongside scientists from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech and Hypatia Mars, a women-led organisation dedicated to space research and outreach.

The experiment examined how spaceflight alters brain function. Gravity is one of the most deeply learned expectations the brain relies on, shaped by a lifetime of experience on Earth. Our brains use this internal sense of gravity to help interpret sensory information and maintain a stable perception of reality. When signals from the body no longer match this expectation - such as in spaceflight - perception can become disrupted.

Professor Ferrè said: “Recent technological advances and investment are opening a new era of space exploration, but space remains a hostile environment for human life. Understanding how the brain responds to terrestrial and non-terrestrial gravity is crucial if humans are to undertake longer and more ambitious missions in space. Parabolic flights provide an ideal environment for this research.

“This was our first parabolic flight campaign using an acrobatic aircraft, and it was a great success. The data collected will be compared with findings from the upcoming Hypatia III mission to the Arctic, and we are already planning further data collection later this year.”