NRC Microgravity
The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) conducts microgravity research using parabolic flight aboard its modified Falcon 20 jet, creating short periods of weightlessness for scientific experiments. This research supports advancements in space exploration, biomedical studies, and materials science, in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency and NASA. Based in Ottawa, the NRC Flight Research Laboratory specializes in flight testing, aircraft performance, and aviation safety, using its specialized fleet to advance aerospace innovation and astronaut training.
I Survived The Vomit Comet
I was tasked with designing a flight suit patch for the Falcon 20 to represent the aircraft and its research. There were two main groups of people that this patch was designed for. The primary audience for the flight suit patch design is the core crew of the Falcon 20, who regularly facilitate experiments during microgravity flights. This includes pilots, engineers, and mission specialists responsible for ensuring successful research operations. Secondly, partnering researchers and students who bring their experiments aboard the Falcon 20. As a takeaway from their experience, the patch serves as a symbol of their participation in microgravity research and their contribution to advancing aerospace science.
Landing On The Final Patch
The clients goal was to keep focus on the aircraft itself while still giving references to the microgravity research signature to the aircraft. It was important to accurately reflect the recognizable features of the Falcon as well as referencing this as being Canadian. I was inspired to keep the aircraft dynamic and accentuate the middle section of the parabola to highlight the moments of weightlessness in flight. It was also important to keep the colours associated with the NRC and the Falcon present. On top of this I wanted to highlight the blue of the flight labs hanger doors.
Behind The Bottle
Thirsty Ottawa?