Manila: An experiment designed by Filipino students was "successfully conducted" onboard the Kibo module of the International Space Station (ISS) last March 24, the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) announced Friday. The Double Gyroscope experiment, crafted by third-year Physics majors Christopher Tumamac, Ryan Andrew Do±a, and Rose Ann Cezar from Rizal Technological University (RTU), was performed by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Astronaut Christopher Williams, PhilSA said in a news release.
According to Philippines News Agency, Do±a and Tumamac presented their experiment proposal at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Tsukuba Space Center in Ibaraki, Japan, prior to the live execution aboard the ISS. Williams conducted 11 experiments, including 10 from other countries, on the ISS while being livestreamed. These experiments were finalists of JAXA's ATZG (Asian Try Zero-G) competition, which invites students and young scientists from the Asia-Pacific region to design simple physics experiments for zero-gravity conditions.
PhilSA reported that the RTU students shared insights on the unique challenges and opportunities presented by conducting experiments in a zero-gravity environment. The absence of gravity affects how objects move, demanding careful planning and precise execution. The Double Gyroscope experiment demonstrates a key principle used in spacecraft orientation, crucial for controlling the direction satellites and spacecraft face in space.
The experiment involved two gyroscopes, spinning devices used to measure or maintain direction and balance, placed at the end of a stick. "The RTU students hypothesized that when the gyroscopes spin in opposite directions, their motion may cancel each other out, causing the system to appear stable or nearly motionless. However, small differences in spinning could slowly change the direction the device points to over time," PhilSA explained. To observe these movements in zero gravity, Williams conducted repeated tests, closely monitoring the gyroscopes' behavior.
The Philippines' participation in the competition, organized locally by PhilSA, is part of the agency's education and outreach initiatives. Since 2022, experiments from Filipino students have consistently been selected as ATZG finalists and carried out on the ISS by astronauts, the agency noted.
