When I was younger , I always thought it would be so cool to go to space . I mean , floating around in zero gravity ? Sign me up !
My idea to become an astronaut quickly fizzled out , but that does not change how cool it would be to experience zero gravity . “ But how can I do that ?” It turns out there is a way you can , without enduring the entire process of getting on a rocket . There are a few airlines that can provide this opportunity . Zero-G , Air Zero G , and MiGFlug all have specialized programs .
Today we ’ re focusing on Air Zero G , a company based out of Paris , France . This company has figured
18 LET ’ S GO AEROSPACE out a way to bring that zero-gravity experience to the public — for a price that reflects the experience , of course . The pilots at Air Zero G know how to safely steer an airplane through a series of maneuvers in a parabola formation ( a sharp incline to a steep decline ). While the plane is rising and falling , the passengers will experience 1.8g ’ s , ( or 1.8 times the gravitational force here on Earth ). At the top of the parabola , for about 22 seconds , there will be 0g ’ s present , allowing that zero-gravity experience hoped for .
The pilots do this maneuver repeatedly , however many times necessary , for the type of flight . For scientific research flights they typically do it 31 times , giving the crew 682 seconds ( about 11 and a half minutes ) of weightlessness . While rising and falling , ( called the pull-up and pull-out ), the passengers will experience much more intense gravity than they would on Earth . Those on board would weigh almost twice as much as normal and have quite a bit of pressure for about 20 seconds per incline / decline .
So how does a flight like this even work ? We ’ ve already reviewed the parabola concept , but there is a lot more planning that goes