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Following training at a military facility northeast of Moscow, the group blasted off in a parabolic airplane, which is used to train astronauts. During the flight, the plane performed various maneuvers to allow the artists ten 23-second stretches of weightlessness.

The artist/cosmonaut team was led by London-based artist and former Merrill Lynch banker Nasser Azam, 44, who wore a leather jumpsuit custom designed by Alexander McQueen and planned to paint during the flight. Also on board were Newcastle-based artist Lyn Hagan, who planned to test the effects of weightlessness on a cat and mouse, and Bristol-based Luke Jerram, who wanted to pay homage to the victims seen jumping from the Twin Towers on September 11.

According to the Associated Press, the experiments yielded mixed results. Jerram began vomiting and was unable to complete his performance before medical staff strapped him into his chair. Hagan also vomited, but did witness the cat and mouse “changing places,” with Jerry appearing braver than Tom in the adverse conditions. And Azzam not only resisted the urge to barf, but also managed to complete his artwork, a triptych titled Homage to Francis Bacon.