Pinoy experiment gets astronaut treatment in space

The Double Gyroscope experiment designed by Filipino students from the Rizal Technological University (RTU), was successfully conducted onboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the 2025 Asian Try Zero-G (ATZG 2025) competition. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Astronaut Christopher Williams performed their experiment inside the Kibo module of the ISS last 24 March 2026.

Double Gyroscope was developed by third year RTU astronomy students majoring in astrophysics: Christopher Tumamac, Ryan Andrew Doña, and Rose Ann Cezar. Their experiment was chosen, alongside 10 others from Australia, Bangladesh, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and UAE for the finals of the ATZG competition. Astronaut Williams conducted these 11 experiments on the ISS while being livestreamed and viewed by the finalists at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Tsukuba Space Center in Ibaraki, Japan.

The ATZG competition from JAXA invites young scientists from the Asia-Pacific to submit creative experiments designed for microgravity conditions. Selected experiments are performed by astronauts aboard the Kibo module in the ISS.

The Philippines has participated in the competition through the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA), which serves as the local organizer as part of its education and outreach initiatives. Since 2022, experiments from Filipino students have consistently been selected as ATZG finalists and carried out on the ISS by astronauts. These experiments were the rotation of dumbbell-shaped objects in space by William Kevin Abran; Oloid’s Movement in Microgravity by Paul Anton Mahinay; and the Effectivity of Elastic Resistance Band Exercise when performed in Zero-Gravity by Gabriel John Guila, Dianne Cristine Cabiedes, Sean Matthew Castaneda, Franz Joshua Corpuz, Jose Ernest Guila, Arniel Kurt Macalla, Lee Andrew Medina, Giorgione Parrera, and Ace Gabriel Pega.

Team members Ryan Andrew Doña and Christopher Tumamac were given the opportunity to present their experiment proposal at the JAXA Tsukuba Space Center before the live execution of their experiment. The observed results successfully aligned with the hypotheses outlined in their study.

JAXA Kibo Utilization Center Director Dr. Masaki Shirakawa and JAXA Astronaut Norishige Kannai awarded certificates of recognition to the finalists during the event.

Reflecting on their ATZG experience, the team shared that conducting experiments in a zero-gravity environment presents unique challenges and opportunities, as weightlessness can affect how objects move despite careful planning.

“We are very thankful for this opportunity given to us by PhilSA and I hope in the next batches of ATZG, more Filipino students will apply so they can also experience proposing an experiment in zero-gravity, see their experiment carried out, and learn a lot,” the Philippine team further added.

Double Gyroscope

Double Gyroscope demonstrates a key principle used in spacecraft orientation, or how satellites and spacecraft control the direction they face in space. This experiment focused on two gyroscopes, or spinning devices used to help measure or maintain direction and balance, placed at the end of a stick.

The students hypothesized that when the gyroscopes spin in opposite directions, their motion may cancel each other out, causing the system to appear stable or nearly motionless. However, small differences in spinning could slowly change the direction the device points to over time.

To observe the movement in zero gravity, Astronaut Williams repeatedly conducted tests by spinning the gyroscopes and observing its movements closely. Results from the experiments and winners of the competition will be presented in the 2025 ATZG wrap-up session later this year.

Double Gyroscope was selected from the 89 proposals submitted nationwide from 15 November 2024 to 17 January 2025. Following the national selection process, it became part of the official Philippine entries to the 2025 ATZG and was later selected by JAXA.

Watch the full experiment here: https://youtu.be/ZnacZuUJF4s