Zero Gravity Corporation

Zero Gravity Corporation
Private
Industry Weightless flights
Founded 2004
Headquarters Arlington, Virginia,
United States
Key people
 Peter Diamandis
Byron K. Lichtenberg
Ray Cronise
Website www.gozerog.com

Zero Gravity Corporation (also known as ZERO-G) is an American company based in Arlington, Virginia, formerly of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which operates weightless flights from United States airports. Unlike NASA, ZERO-G is governed under Part 121 of FAA regulations (as are all US commercial passenger and cargo airlines) enabling the company to cater to both tourists and researchers alike.

History

Founded by entrepreneur Peter Diamandis, astronaut Byron K. Lichtenberg, and NASA engineer Ray Cronise, the company has been operating weightless flights since 2004. A number of notable passengers have been on weightless flights run by the company, including Penn Jillette[1] and Teller,[2] Martha Stewart, Burt Rutan, Buzz Aldrin, Casey Neistat, John Carmack, and Tony Hawk. Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking also completed a shortened flight on April 26, 2007.[3][4]

In April 2006, ZERO-G became the first commercial company to gain permission from the Kennedy Space Center to use its space shuttle runway and landing facilities.[5] On April 21, 2007, it began regular flights from Las Vegas for the general public[6] at ticket prices of US$3,675. Good Morning America aired promotional footage[7] featuring the show's weatherman Sam Champion during a preview flight in Ohio.[8] On December 9, 2007, Zero G hosted Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman of MythBusters to disprove the conspiracy theory that the Apollo Moon landing was a hoax.

In March 2008, the company was acquired by Space Adventures.[9]

On April 20, 2011, a Safety Approval was granted to ZERO-G by the FAA which allows the company to "...offer reduced gravity parabolic flights to prospective suborbital launch operators to meet the applicable components of the crew qualification and training requirements outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations (14 C.F.R., Section 460.5)."

Flight experience

Zero Gravity "G-FORCE ONE" aircraft
© Al Powers, PowersImagery.com

As of May 2013, the price of a flight for a single passenger is US$4,950 plus tax.[10]

Fliers undergo a brief training session before embarking.[11] A flight lasts 90 to 100 minutes,[12] and consists of fifteen parabolas, each of which simulates about 30 seconds of reduced gravity:[12] one that simulates Martian gravity (one third of Earth's), two that simulate Lunar gravity (one sixth of Earth's), and 12 that simulate weightlessness.[13] Each parabola begins with the aircraft climbing at a 45-degree angle at approximately 23,000 feet (7,000 m), peaks at 32,000 ft (9,800 m), and ends with the aircraft pointed down at a 30-degree angle.

Fleet

The company owns and operates a Boeing 727-227F Advanced, registration N794AJ,[14] dubbed "G-FORCE ONE". It flies parabolic arcs similar to those of NASA's KC-135 reduced gravity aircraft.

Aircraft In fleet Notes
Boeing 727-227F Advanced 1 N794AJ

Research flights for NASA

NASA has a microgravity services contract with ZERO-G, which provided the first flights under this contract on September 9 and 10, 2008. Flight time from Ellington Field near Johnson Space Center was provided for the FASTRACK Space Experiment Platform. The flights were funded by NASA’s Strategic Capabilities and Assets Program.[15]

See also

References

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