Youngest passenger to fly in microgravity-world
record set by Jules Nader
GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador --The first zero G plane in
Latin America, a T-39 Sabreliner performed flawlessly 18 parabolas
with a total of 282 seconds in zero G and Lunar gravity, while
carrying the 7 year old Jules
Nader as he participated in a hydrodynamics experiment
designed by his brother-setting the world record for
theYoungest
passenger to fly in microgravity. Photo:
Jules Nader, 7, center, floats with his brother Gerard Nader,
10, bottom left, and friend Julia Velastegui, 17, behind right,
during a zero-gravity flight in an air force plane.
Nadar became the youngest
passenger ever aboard a zero-gravity flight. / AP photo/Ecuador
Civil Space Aviation Agency.(
enlarge
photo)
Jules
André Nader Drouet (b. 24 June 2000; the flight was
performed on June 12, 2008), says he wasn't scared during
the four minutes of weightlessness he experienced aboard an
air force plane. He was accompanied by the crew of the aircraft
Fuerza-1 CONDOR and his father – the first Ecuadorian astronaut
Commander Ronnie
Nader.
He told The Associated Press that he felt "like Spider-Man."
Nader's 10-year-old brother Gerard also made the flight.
The Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE) and the Ecuadorian
Civilian Space Agency (EXA), executed the aerospace mission
EXA/FAE-06
on board of the Ecuadorian microgravity plane the 'Fuerza-G
1 Cóndor', for the POSEIDON scientific project.
The POSEIDON scientific project verified
the effects of microgravity in fluid dynamics, in an experiment
similar to those executed in the International Space Station
and perfomed the first biometric readings of children of less
than 11 years old while they work in microgravity in history.
The children, including the new world record
holder Jules
Nader, performed flawlessly 18 parabolas with a total
of 282 seconds in zero G and Lunar gravity, none of them were
affected adversely, proving that, with a proper training,
children and youngsters can do scientific tasks in microgravity
environments, like space. (enlarge
photo)
The performers of this mission were the students
Julia Velasteguí (17 y.o.), Gerard Nader (10
y.o.) and Jules Nader (7 y.o.), this one now bears
the World Record in the name of Ecuador.
This children underwent estrict physical, intelectual,
psychological and scientific training during the last month
to secure their participation in this mission and the correct
execution of the scientific experiments.
Jules Nader's father, CommanderRonnie
Nader, is the first Ecuadorian astronaut in history;
he was awarded the 'Example for Youth' medal by the Ecuadorian
government.
He is ranked #3577 over 373.733 scientists around
the world, within the 1% more distinguished and over the 99%
of world's scientist, due to his scientific work and achievements.
(enlarge
photo)
The POSEIDON project is part of the
Ecuadorian Microgavity Flight Program (PEVM) that
is being executed by EXA and FAE and marks the start of the
ZeroG Aeroespace Program, dedicated to open the doors of science
to all children and youngs, not only Ecuadorian but world
wide, that will have access to this unique tool for their
development.