Statements

We are living at the bottom of an 'ocean' of air. When climbing to 5.5 km altitude, we see half of the atmosphere below us. In order to learn to know this 'ocean' we need to fly, experiencing the atmosphere and quantifying processes happening in it. Creeping on the ground is not an option, even when the efforts needed to move up in this 'ocean' are considerable.

The sky is not the limit – As researchers we are dedicated to cross the boundaries, to unravel the unknown, to find new laws of nature, different ways of thinking in order to open our present horizon and prepare the future of our descendants. Microgravity research is directed to the future and as woman, dedicated researcher and medical doctor I’m proud that with the Swiss Skylab Foundation we offer the possibility to pioneer this interesting domain in Switzerland.

Swiss Skylab is a unique foundation for applied research in the natural sciences and in aerospace using airborne platforms. It provides a link between academia and the industry, combining expertise in various fields including science, military and civil aviation, and project management. By bringing academia closer to airports we enable research projects to lift off – literally.

Man is a wayfarer, a researcher, an explorer. He lives and works in the most extreme environments planet Earth has to offer. And beyond. But since more than forty years, no man has entered another celestial body anymore. In contrast, we became accustomed to the comfort of all technical achievements which spaceflight brought in our everyday life. We became inactive, lazy – and ignorant. Sometimes, we are beginning to forget, that the achievements of today were earned through hard work and through the sacrifices in the past. But as soon as someone is asking for new efforts, for new and risky explorations beyond the known boundaries, for investments which do not pay off today, but only in the future, the horizon of many people suddenly becomes very small, ignoring the origin of our achievements, fearing the inconvenience of the unknown. But our world was not brought forward by people who isolate and who ignore. Our world was always brought forward by the visionaries, the curious, the brave. Men are united by great visions, but never by small-mindedness. We need to set sail into the unknown. Let us do what our species is made for: to search, to explore and to discover. Let us use our wings.

Movement in microgravity is not yet entirely understood and studied. As a teacher of physical education I fully support the Swiss parabolic flights and expect to learn more about movement in space. I completely stand behind Swiss-based research.

Cold. High Altitude. Microgravity.
Extreme environments unravel the adaptational potential we did not even think of so far.

People have always been explorer and settled new territories. This is a fundamental part of our evolution. Now it is time to explore habitable places beyond Earth. However, before being able to settle elsewhere, many scientific questions and challenges need to be tackled. Let’s do it!