ZARGES enters the troposphere in University of Newcastle space flight
February 2023
A microgravity parabolic flight mission launched by the University of Newcastle has seen ZARGES casing hit new heights, as its aluminium casing plays an integral part in transporting key elements of a scientific experiment safely to and from the Earth’s Troposphere.
The mission, undertaken by a team from the university, was launched in order to test the effects of glucose uptake in abnormal gravity conditions. Three separate flights in October allowed a study of cell signalling transduction, the process by which cells sense and respond to their environment, which will determine the viability of using fresh food as sustenance for crew in future space flights.
Due to the nature of the experiment, its complete containment was required whilst in flight. ZARGES played a vital part in the mission by providing a safe, durable and leak-proof means to transport the experiment, with its K470 universal case being used to house the custom-built microscope, and allow easy access for the team to add new samples by opening the securely sealed case lid.
Available in one of 25 standard sizes and with capacity ranging from 13 to 829 litres, the K470 box is at the forefront of ZARGES hazardous goods offering. Stringently tested to ensure ultimate safety, the K470 has been especially designed to be durable, secure and eliminate the risk of combustion – a vital consideration for the transportation of scientific equipment.
Koren Murphy at the University of Newcastle, said: “Leak proof containment was a concern for our experiment, and having a ZARGES K470 immediately solved this issue. The microscope we designed was sensitive to vibrations and had to be transported carefully from the UK to France, and the K470 case lent itself perfectly to this task. ZARGES helped us achieve a large chunk of our design goals with an already perfectly designed case, so we just had to focus on the science.”
Neil Harper, Sales Manager at ZARGES, said: “The University of Newcastle team were presented with a unique challenge when it came to the transportation of their experiment, requiring a storage solution which was not only durable and robust, but could securely contain its delicate contents. The solution we quickly identified was our K470 Universal Container.
“We’re thrilled that ZARGES has been involved in such an exciting project – and also to be able to add ‘parabolic flight logistics’ to the wide variety of industries our aluminium cases are used in, which includes rail, defence, medical logistics and automotive manufacturing, to name just a few.”
Media contact:
Jake Smith
T: 07527 304 176
Abi Kelly
T: 0121 454 9707