Space travel may still be a few years off, but one company is making sure you get a taste of that zero-gravity life in 2020.
Zero-G, a company that invites guests on a specially modified Boeing 727 to experience weightlessness, has long called Las Vegas home. But now, it’s expanding its reach to include flights in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Miami, New York, Orlando, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and various stops in New England.
“It’s like being an astronaut,” Zero Gravity Corp. CEO Matt Gohd told the Reno Gazette-Journalabout the experience.
According to the company, the weightless flight works by performing aerobatic maneuvers known as parabolas. “Specially trained pilots perform these aerobatic maneuvers which are not simulated in any way. ZERO-G’s passengers experience true weightlessness,” the company said in a blog post.
“Before starting a parabola, G-FORCE ONE flies level to the horizon at an altitude of 24,000 feet. The pilots then begin to pull up, gradually increasing the angle of the aircraft to about 45 degrees to the Horizon reaching an altitude of 32000 feet,” the company said.
During this pull-up move, passengers will feel the force of 1.8 Gs. The plane then gently pushes over to create the zero gravity segment of the parabola, which lasts for about 20 to 30 seconds. Then, the plane pulls out of the move, allowing the passengers to stabilize on the aircraft floor.
According to the company, the flight also includes a parabola maneuver designed to “offer lunar gravity, or about one-sixth your weight, and Martian gravity, or about one-third your weight. This is created by flying a larger Arc over the top of a parabola.”
And don’t worry too much about safety. The company says it flies in an FAA designated airspace that is approximately “100 miles long and 10 miles wide.” Usually, three to five parabolas are flown consecutively with short periods of level flight between each set.
However, the one thing you should worry about before boarding is what you eat. As the Reno Gazette-Journal explained, passengers are advised to “avoid drinking and greasy foods before the flight.” Don’t worry though, the team provides guests with a plain bagel beforehand to calm any upset tummies.
