Zero-gravity Surgery Successful

from BBC News

A team of French doctors say they have carried out a successful operation on a human under "weightless" conditions in an adapted aircraft. The trial is being seen as a first step to performing surgery in space.

The doctors removed a benign tumour from the arm of a volunteer as their plane made a series of swoops to mimic a reduced-gravity environment. The medics and patient were strapped down for the procedure which was done inside a hygienic plastic tent. Specially designed instruments were fitted with magnets to attach them to the metal operating table.

The three-hour flight above south-west France used a modified Airbus A300 known as "Zero-G", which flies parabolic curves that give its passengers 20-second periods of weightlessness. The operation took no more than 11 minutes.