Cave 0g

Cave 0g is a student project supported by the ESA Academy Experiments program, part of ESA Education and the University of Ljubljana.

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

We had the incredible honor of presenting our zero gravity experiment to NASA astronaut Sunita Williams 🧑‍🚀

It’s a dream come true to have our work recognized by such a space pioneer. Thank you, Sunita, for inspiring us to keep pushing boundaries! 🚀✨

#ZeroGravity #STEM #NASA

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

Wrapping up the year with Cave0g 🎄

From flying our experiment to diving deep into data analysis, it’s been an intense and exciting journey.

Thanks for following along. We’re excited to share more results and science with you in the new year! ✨

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

After weeks of data analysis, here’s a glimpse of what happens when silicone oil meets distilled water... with no gravity to keep them apart🫧

We’re deep into the analysis phase, and things are looking seriously promising 👀

#ESAacademy #ZeroGravity #ParabolicFlight #Experiment

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

WE WERE IN ZERO GRAVITY! ✈️✨ Floating, double gravity & pure excitement; an unforgettable ride 💫 Now the real work begins: analyzing our data 📊🔬 Stay tuned!

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

What a journey! ✈️
After months of prep, we tested our zero-gravity experiment during 3 parabolic flights surreal & inspiring!✨Now comes the analysis phase. Huge thanks to ESA Academy, Novespace, our mentors & partners. Stay tuned for more! 🌍💡

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

Only 9 days left until we kick off the on-site phase of our project 🚀✨ After more than a year of developing our experiment, we’ll finally get the chance to test it in zero gravity 🌌

We’re super excited, now just putting the last touches in place before we’re fully ready💡

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

✨ Meet GaMa LC ✨
Precision is key when studying phenomena like cavitation, that’s why we partnered with GaMa LC 🔬⚙️

From laser cutting to prototyping, their support brings us closer to microgravity! ✈️
#CAVE0g #GamaLC #ESAacademy

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

Control circuitry prototyping is underway!
Here’s a quick update from Nejc, our electrical lead:
After designing the circuit and picking out parts, it’s now being assembled on a prototype board. LEDs simulate signals that'll later connect to cameras, sonotrodes & Raspberry Pi.

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

Powering cavitation in microgravity: for our zero-g emulsification experiment, Hilscher’s ultrasonic sonotrodes are key. Compact, reliable, and powerful enough to generate the intense cavitation we need. Without them, none of this would be possible🫧✈️

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

🛠️💻 Setup design in progress! 💻🛠️

Leon & Jernej have been working on a “virtual twin” of our experiment in OnShape. This CAD model helps us plan materials and follow @esa & Novespace’s guidelines precisely🎯🧩

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

This week, our team lead @jakob_mali presented our experiment CAVE 0g at the 10th ESA-ELGRA Gravity Summer School 🌍 He also introduced SELGRA and shared insights into student-driven microgravity research.

Thanks @esa & @StudentELGRA for this amazing opportunity! ✨
#ESAacademy

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

🚧 Design update!

🔩 Structural: We designed a sliding mechanism for precise cuvette positioning
🔌 Electrical: Wiring layout set, final tweaks in progress
🧠 Docs: It's all coming together, next up: assembly!

#microgravity #engineering #esa #studentresearch

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

🎥 Testing @Photron_HSV 's FASTCAM SA-Z & Mini UX100 was a game-changer for our experiment ⚙️
The insane resolution + frame rate = next-level insight into microgravity dynamics.

We’re finally seeing what happens in milliseconds 👀📷

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

✈️ 1 YEAR since we launched the CAVE 0g project!

After 12 months of hard work 💪, we’ve just completed the Design Phase ✅ of our ESA Academy experiment 🚀

From idea 💡 to real setup 🛠 and yes, we celebrated with cake 🍰 & tiramisu 🍮!
#CAVE0g #ESAacademy

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

️️📸 High-speed visualization

It might look complex, but at its core, it’s just photography, but with a serious upgrade✨

Lens choice is key! The right combo of field of view and focal length can make or break the shot, it takes a good bit of trial and error to find the one

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

Curious what Cavitation looks like? 👀🌊

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

Our project is taking off thanks to ESA Academy. Stay tuned! 🛩️🌟
#ESAacademy

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

🚀 Meet the CAVE 0g Team! 🛰️

👨‍💻 Jakob – Team Lead
🧪 Žan – Technical Lead
📸 Jernej – Visualization specialist 
🎓 Matevž – Project Mentor
🎨 Sara – Outreach Manager
🔩 Leon – Structural Engineer
⚡ Nejc – Electrical Engineer

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

Soooo...what's the point? 🤔🚀✨

#cave0g #microgravity #spacescience #parabolicflight #fluidphysics #emulsions #stem #zerog #esaeducation #cavitation #gravitydefying

[Cave 0g @Cave0g]

🚀 Our logo has a story! Check out what it represents. 🔬✨ #esaacademy #experimentsprogramme