The flight took Gemala, the only MT180 winner onboard, along with other regular passengers, to experience weightlessness from Bordeaux-Merignac Airport to Le Bourget Airport in France. Through precise piloting on a parabolic trajectory, the passengers experienced the zero, Martian and Lunar gravities with the guidance of the flight crew and Jean-François Clervoy, an European Space Agency astronaut who went on several NASA missions, including the 1999 mission to repair the Hubble Telescope.

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Passengers and crew of the A310 Zero-G flight create a linked formation during their zero-gravity flight from Bordeaux-Merignac Airport to Le Bourget Airport in France on June 22.(Gemala Cempaka Hapsari/File)

“I know you can pay to enjoy the flight if you have €6000 [US$6,856] to spend; which is not the case with me. I am proud to receive this flight as my prize from winning the national MT180 competition," Gemala recently told The Jakarta Post by email.

The third-year doctoral student at the University of Franche-Comté in France, whose research interests include microfabrication and mechanics of materials, considers the flight a life-changing experience. “Although I didn't see the Earth from above as a real astronaut does, experiencing an out-of-this-world phenomenon has changed my life forever,” she said.

Gemala said that she had been interested in becoming an astronaut since she was 5 years old, but decided to give up on the idea, as she felt that it was unattainable in Indonesia.

“I may never become an astronaut, but I hope the struggle I’ve done in my life to be where I am can inspire young Indonesians, especially young Indonesian girls, that your gender will never limit what you can achieve,” she said.

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Last year, Gemala presented her PhD research project on the characterization and identification of sheet behavior laws in incremental microforming, and won the MT180 competition in Indonesia. Even so, she revealed that she initially did  not have the confidence to enter the competition.

“I thought my French was awful and that I wouldn’t make a fool of myself in front of everyone. I was afraid that if I did something stupid, everyone would think that all Indonesians are as bad,” she said, on why she did not participate in the MT180 competition in France.

However, Gemala eventually decided to join the Indonesian MT180 competition after being contacted by an official from the Institut Français d'Indonésie (IFI). “I was thinking if I won it, I could represent Indonesia, which is not a francophone country, against all representatives from francophone countries,” she said, adding that she saw the competition as an opportunity to improve her French ability by challenging her skill against those of native speakers.

After winning the Indonesian MT180 competition, Gemala advanced to the international MT180 competition in Rabat, Morocco, on Sept. 29, 2016. 

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Passengers and crew form an airborne huddle during their A310 Zero-G flight on June 22. Gemala (third right from bottom, counterclockwise), was awarded the zero-gravity flight for winning the MT180 Edition 2016 competition.(Gemala Cempaka Hapsari/File)

Gemala said that after obtaining her doctoral degree, she will seek a research job related to her specialization. “In the long term, I hope I can be the bridge between Indonesia and France. I would love to create a project or at least be a part of micromechanics research between my two countries,” she said.

She was given the zero-gravity flight prize through a cooperation between IFI, the French Embassy, the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES).

The IFI-French Embassy scientific cooperation officer, Léa Roy, said that IFI was very proud to be able to give Gemala the chance to experience the flight. “We want to give a prize that is way more meaningful than just money: the experience and sensation in becoming a one-day astronaut,” said Roy.

“This flight is hoped to be able to resonate the initial goal of the MT180, which is to valorize the quality of French research and innovation,” Roy added. (kes)