Experience Zero Gravity on a "Vomit Comet" Ride

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Do you dream about floating weightlessly in space like an astronaut? Did you know the experience is available to those eager enough to try at a number of locations? NASA developed the procedure for training in its Reduced Gravity Research Program using a specially modified aircraft. NASA officially named the aircraft they use as the “Weightless Wonder” but the nickname “Vomit Comet” is what those in the know affectionately refer to the planes. Regularly scheduled flights are available in Las Vegas, Nevada, Washington, DC and Cape Canaveral, Florida at the Space Coast Regional Airport. Occasionally opportunities to participate in the adventure are available at airports in Seattle, Washington, Los Angeles, California, New York, New York and Moscow, Russia. For the truly adventurous individuals, charters are available at virtually any airport that can handle the takeoff and landing of a Boeing 727. The primary provider of the experience is the Zero G (Gravity) Corporation, headquartered in Vienna, Virginia but other operators such as Aurora Aerospace in Oldsmar, Florida and Novespace in Paris, France also offer the encounter. Flights typically provide 12 – 15 periods of weightlessness at an altitude of 34,000 feet while emulating the gravity of the Moon and Mars. A full orientation and training is provided prior to boarding the aircraft along with the issuance of your own flight suit. Ex-astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Astrophysicist Steven Hawking have both come away from the experience with exhilaration and respect for the process. If you have ever watched astronauts floating effortlessly on board their spacecraft and wished you could have the experience then the fulfillment of that dream is no further away than adding a ride in a Vomit Comet to your list.

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