Málaga student fulfills childhood dream in zero-gravity flight program

Lucía was seven or eight years old when she decided her life's direction. She was lying on a beach in Málaga on a summer night, watching the Perseid meteor shower with her family. The sky was dark enough to see the Milky Way in its entirety—a sight increasingly rare in modern Spain. She remembers feeling simultaneously small and vast, held inside something incomprehensibly large. That night, she told herself: this is my path. I want to help others understand this.

More than a decade later, that childhood conviction has become a disciplined pursuit. Last week, Lucía experienced weightlessness aboard a parabolic flight, part of Spain's "Astronaut for a Day" program run by the Spanish Space Agency. She was one of only 30 students selected from more than 400 applicants across the country, aged 16 to 18. Twenty-five of those chosen were high school students like her. The selection process was rigorous, designed to identify not just bright minds but sustained passion.

Her path to the program was neither accidental nor sudden. After that night on the beach, she walked into the library in Rincón de la Victoria and pulled the first astronomy book she could find. It had simple drawings and accessible explanations, but it opened something in her. She wanted more. She shared her discoveries with a childhood friend named Irina, and together they built their curiosity into something larger—exchanging books, videos, and observations. Over time came a telescope of her own, the writings of Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan, visits to museums, conversations with professionals. Every school project became an opportunity to think about space. When asked to design an innovative product, she created glasses that could identify constellations using artificial intelligence.

This consistency showed in her grades. She finished her first year of high school with a 9.7 average—the kind of academic record that catches the attention of selection committees. The program announcement arrived through her friend Irina, who sent her the information with a simple message: this is your opportunity. Lucía read the details and knew immediately she had to apply.

The selection process unfolded in stages. Applicants submitted a 45-second video explaining why they wanted to be an ambassador for space. Lucía tried to capture the nostalgia she feels when she returns to the astronomy of her childhood—how it has become almost a home to her. Academic records were reviewed. Candidates were progressively filtered through evaluation rounds. The news of her selection came on the morning of Holy Tuesday, while she was resting on the sofa after the Holy Week processions. Her father called to tell her. She couldn't believe it.

Days later she traveled to the Aerospace Medicine Instruction Center in Torrejón for medical and psychological screening. Electrocardiograms, blood pressure checks, exhaustive interviews about fears and how she might react under stress. Once cleared, she joined the other selected students in Madrid, then traveled to San Javier air base in Murcia. There they toured the General Academy of Air and Space and received technical training. The next day came the parabolic flight itself—what she describes as controlled free fall, lasting roughly an hour, with multiple maneuvers creating the sensation of weightlessness.

What struck her most was not just the flight but the community. She has made friendships she believes will last her entire life. The professionals guiding the program function as mentors, keeping the students connected to the aerospace sector. Her medium-term goal is clear: study mechanical engineering in Málaga, then specialize in aerospace. She likes building things, taking them apart, understanding how they work. Staying in her hometown while pursuing this path feels right.

She still participates in her family's Holy Week tradition, walking as a penitent in the Estudiantes brotherhood every Monday—a custom she has maintained since childhood. This year, she lived through those processions without yet knowing that a few days later she would receive one of the most important calls of her life. Now, having experienced weightlessness and standing at the threshold of a career in space, she reflects simply: having this opportunity alone makes me feel satisfied. The girl who once looked up at the night sky in silence is beginning, step by step, to reach toward it.