Many of us in Brevard have grown up around images of astronauts bouncing on the surface of the moon or floating weightlessly inside the International Space Station. While most of us will never get to experience the effects of zero gravity on the moon or in orbit around the earth, I was thrilled when Space Adventures, Ltd recently invited me to experience true weightlessness as part of their ZERO-G Experience.
My adventure started at Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville. After donning my flight suit (which you get to keep), we went through a 30-minute briefing before boarding G-FORCE ONE, a specially modified Boeing 727, with just a few rows of seats in the back, and the entire front of the plane open and padded.
It took about 30 minutes to get out to the FAA restricted air space used for the specialized maneuvers – called parabolic flying – that create weightlessness. Breaking into groups and spreading out throughout the cabin, our first parabola was a warm-up, creating “Martian gravity” or what you would experience on the surface of Mars, basically 1/3 of your weight on earth. Next, we flew two lunar gravity parabolas, which equated to about 1/6 your weight, followed by twelve zero-G parabolas. The entire air time clocked in at just under two hours, of which over 8 minutes were spent in a weightless state.
Floating around the cabin in 30-second increments is indescribable. While the cabin, at times, seemed like an in-air mosh pit, the freedom and feeling of weightlessness made many of the passengers scream in giddy delight. No wonder those astronauts always look like they’re having so much fun!
Experience ZERO-G
G-FORCE ONE will be back in the area on the following dates:
- July 10 (Titusville)
- July 24 (Miami)
- Aug 7 (Titusville)
- Aug 21 (Titusville)
Costs start at $4,950.00 per passenger
Make reservations and learn more at www.gozerog.com