Orlan-M Space Suit Training at the GCTC - The Making of "Liquid Gravity" by Michael Najjar

More information: http://www.space-affairs.com Michael Najjar is a german artist, adventurer and - future astronaut. Born in 1966, he has lived and worked in Berlin since 1988. His work is shown in museums, galleries and biennials around the world. He works with photography and video. The focus of his work is on key elements of our modern society driven and controlled by computer and information technologies. Najjar, widely seen as a visual futurist, transmutes science, history and philosophy into visions and utopias of future social structures emerging under the impact of cutting-edge technologies. His current work series "outer space" deals with the latest developments in space flight and the way they will shape our future life on earth and in earth's near orbit. Inside the big hydrolab of the Yuri A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Russia, german artist Michael Najjar entered the very heavy (under normal conditions it's 120 kilograms in weight) Orlan-M spacesuit. Sitting inside the Orlan-M spacesuit, he was hooked up moved to the water. After exactly neutral buoyancy the weight of the suit is nothing! But it is not easy to move inside! It has to be trained well. And Michael Najjar did this training very well. On the bottom of the big hydrolab there are 1:1 full scaled modules of the russian segments of the International Space Station ISS (Zarya, Zvesda and Pirs). Here the astronaut & cosmonaut crews are on training for "EVA's" (Extra Vehicular Activities) to learn to handle, to work and to float in this space suit outside the space station under totally weightlessness conditions. Only with the help of scuba divers the participant inside the Orlan-M spacesuit is able to float from one point to another, if he isn't hooked up by himself at special handrails outside of the modules and connected with cables to it. Michael Najjar made out of the pictures and footages of his special adventure a picture & video-artwork titled "Liquid Gravity". Worldwide known photographer Thomas Rusch joined him during this special journey into the world of neutral buoyancy and still made the video recording and the photography under water. Michael's homepage will give you more information about his very special and unique art works: http://www.michaelnajjar.com Move to the "outer space blog". We invented and executed Michael's special unique training. More things will coming soon! If you want to learn more about the Orlan-M spacesuit, please visit: http://www.space-affairs.com/index.php?wohin=orlan More information: http://www.space-affairs.com (Space Affairs) http://www.michaelnajjar.com (Michael Najjar) http://www.thomasrusch.com (Thomas Rusch) (c) 2013 by Michael Najjar/Thomas Rusch/Space Affairs. All rights reserved.