Integrated experiment setup and team members with the ZARM Director. Credit: Renato Rimolo-Donadio

"The DropTES project was a unique experience for all the team members; having access to a facility like the Drop Tower, planning microgravity experiments, working close together with the team at ZARM, are still activities that can only be carried out from Costa Rica through this type of collaborative programs. Back in 2016, our project showed that it was possible to get successfully involved in topics related to space exploration, and it served as motivation not only for the team members (some of them remain engaged working with space technologies) but for other wider audiences of students and researchers. After this, projects with Cubesats, drones, other microgravity experiments and even the creation of a National Space Agency have become a reality. I think in this, our DropTES experiment put its grain of sand, showing others that we have the talent and the capacity to contribute to space applications. We are grateful to UNOOSA, the staff at ZARM and our universities in Costa Rica for supporting this initiative." - Renato Rimolo-Donadio, Project Coordinator