Valencian Students Become "Astronauts for a Day"

Three high school students experienced zero gravity in a Spanish Space Agency program aimed at fostering scientific and technological vocations.

Generic image of excited students in a science laboratory.
IA

Generic image of excited students in a science laboratory.

Three Valencian high school students, Marta Juan, Javier López, and Lucía Molina, had the opportunity to experience a day as astronauts thanks to a program by the Spanish Space Agency (AEB) in Murcia.

The project, promoted by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU), selected 30 students from across the country, including these three young individuals from the Valencian Community, with the aim of sparking their interest in scientific and technological disciplines. The initiative seeks to foster STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) vocations.
The educational day took place at the San Javier air base in Murcia. There, the students experienced the sensation of zero gravity through microgravity flights, performing controlled parabolic trajectories. They were accompanied by professionals from the European Space Agency, such as astronauts Sara García and Pablo Álvarez, who guided them through this unique experience.
Marta Juan, from the Mas Camarena School in Bétera (Camp de Túria), aims to study Aerospace Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) and work at NASA. Javier López, from IES Abastos in València, wants to become a commercial or military pilot. Meanwhile, Lucía Molina, from IES Enrique Tierno Galbán in Montcada (Horta Nord), aims to build satellites or rockets.
As part of the program, these students will become science ambassadors, giving science outreach talks during 2026 to promote STEM vocations among other students.