The VSB-30 rocket lifted off from Alcantara, a space launch facility in the state of Maranhao, which is about 2,700 kilometers (1,700 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro. The facility is located just off the equator of the Earth.

At that location, the rocket gets an advantageous boost from the Earth because the planet is rotating the fastest in its middle, going slower and slower as one gets nearer to its north and south poles. Because of this advantage, less fuel is needed to launch (as compared to a more northern launch site such as the Kennedy Space Center in the United States), so larger payloads can be lifted into space.

The two-stage 12.5-meter (41-foot) rocket flew to an altitude of about 280 kilometers (175 miles) before beginning its return back to the Earth. While the rocket was descending back to the Earth, it and its cargo was in a near-weightless state (like sky divers before pulling their parachutes). For those seven or so minutes, the experiment was performed on a payload to study the affects of microgravity on solids, liquids, and gases.

Brazilian scientists want to learn more about such effects on chemical reactions in enzymes and DNA. They specifically are looking into how DNA may try to repair itself after being exposed to solar radiation outside of the Earth's atmosphere.

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the substance inside almost all living things that carry genetic information so that hereditary characteristics can be passed on to future generations.

The Brazilian Space Agency (AEB, for Agencia Espacial Brasileira) operates Brazil’s space program. The federal space program of Brazil, which was previously under military control, was organized as a civilian operation in 1994. It is headquartered at the National Institute for Space Research, which is part of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

However, the country—the first South American country with a space program—has been building rockets since the 1960s. In 1993, the country successfully launched the first satellite built completely within Brazil. It was called Data-Collecting Satellite 1, or Satelite de Coleta de Dados 1 (SCD-1), and was used to gather information on the environment.

Under the AEB, the first successful rocket was launched in October 2004. It was called Brazilian Exploration Vehicle (VSV-30), a two-stage rocket that accomplished a sub-orbital flight.

The AEB website is: http://www.aeb.gov.br/ .

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