Dream of weightless parabolic flights becomes a reality By Kathy Hagood

It took the founders of Zero-G more than a decade to get their dream of weightless parabolic flights for the public off the ground.

By flying in parabolas of various inclinations, Zero-G is able to create Martian gravity, lunar gravity and the microgravity of orbital space flight just as NASA has been doing to train astronauts for the past 45 years.

Zero-G’s first official commercial flight Sept. 10, 2004, tested the muster of contestants on “The Rebel Billionaire,” a reality Fox TV show in which Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Worldwide, sought to find who was most qualified to become president of his company.

Since that glamorous beginning, more than 150 people age 15 and older have experienced what before typically had been limited to astronauts, researchers and research subjects. High-profile Zero-G trips over the past year-and-a-half have included filming for Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice” and a 7-Up commercial.

So far the Fort Lauderdale-based company’s modified Boeing 727-200 cargo aircraft, dubbed “G-Force One,” has flown out of about 12 airports in half a dozen states, including Kennedy Space Center. The company is negotiations for additional KSC flights.

“The excitement about what we have to offer is growing. Two thousand and six is shaping up to be an awesome year for Zero-G,” said Robert Ward, vice president of flight operations for the privately held company with a staff of 12.

Ward himself was a research subject on NASA parabolic test flights in 1995, which created his enduring passion for weightlessness.

“It’s definitely the experience of a lifetime,” said Ward, who also previously worked for the Cape Canaveral-based Florida Spaceport Authority.

Zero-G co-founders Dr. Peter Diamandis, MD, and Byron Lichtenberg, PhD, first began discussing the possibilities of a Zero-G type company several years before “Apollo 13” came out in 1995. But the weightless shots in the movie, filmed during parabolic flights aboard a NASA aircraft, so captured the public’s imagination that the two entrepreneurs decided to turn their outrageous dream into a reality.

The two were uniquely suited to the daunting task because of their long experience with the space program and track record of mastering seemingly insurmountable challenges. Diamandis currently serves as chairman and chief executive officer for Zero-G and Lichtenberg as president.

Diamandis is also chairman and CEO of the X Prize Foundation, which he co-founded. The non-profit organization promoted the formation of a space-tourism industry through a $10 million prize. Diamandis co-founded Space Adventures, Ltd.; Starport.com, which was acquired by SPACE.com; and the International Space University.

While a student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) he founded Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. Diamandis received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in aerospace engineering from MIT and a medical degree from Harvard Medical School. His research is award winning.

Lichtenberg, also an X-Prize cofounder, was the first Payload specialist in the Space Shuttle program, flying on Spacelab-1 in 1983. In addition he flew aboard the ATLAS-1 Spacelab Mission in March 1992. He logged a total of 468 hours in space while performing numerous experiments.

During his career Lichtenberg co-founded and served as president for Payload Systems Inc., a company specializing in engineering and scientific support of human spaceflight experiments. He helped obtain the first U.S. commercial agreement to do research on the Russian Mir space station. He’s also the co-founder of the Association of Space Explorers, an international organization for astronauts and cosmonauts.

Lichtenberg was a fighter pilot for the U.S. Air Force for 23 years, surviving 238 combat missions during the Vietnam War. Currently he flies as a captain for South West Airlines.

After the two decided to go forward with Zero-G, plans were made to modify a 727 for weightless flight with upgrades to its hydraulic system and avionics. The interior had to be reconfigured with a seating zone and a 60-foot long floating zone. The floor of the floating zone would be covered with 1.5-inch energy-absorbing Ensolite padding for maximum comfort and safety.

Along the way it took much more time to get Federal Aviation Association approval than the founders first anticipated. What they were suggesting had never been done before and there were several snags and delays in the certification process, including the 9/11 terrorist tragedy, Ward said.

While attempting to get licensing, more than 1,000 parabolas were performed to demonstrate the Zero-G aircraft’s safe operation. Zero-G worked with Warner Brothers Studio to perform 200 parabolas during six flights allowed under an experimental certificate from the FAA. The flights were used to create special effects for the Matrix 2 and 3 movies.

Finally the FAA agreed to let Zero-G operate if it partnered with Amerijet International, a Fort Lauderdale-based cargo transportation and logistics provider. Amerijet pilots fly the aircraft during its multiple parabolas. Pilot and crewmembers have an average of 5,000 flight hours in large turbojet aircraft and have flown 727s for more than 10 years.

“Our founders were thrilled to finally see their vision become a reality,” Ward said.
The price for an all-day Zero-G experience is $3,750. The program includes training plus provides the participant with memorabilia, video, and photography from the flight. Six video cameras are used within the aircraft cabin to film the entire flight, which includes 15 parabolas.

Most often Zero-G flights leave out of the Jet Center Aviation Group’s private airport facility adjacent to the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
While there is a chance of stomach upset for some during the flight, Zero-G has worked with physicians to come up with a concoction of caffeine, scopolamine and antihistamine that has reduced the probability of illness from 20 to 30 percent to 1 to 2 percent, Ward said.

The market for Zero-G flights is diverse, Ward said. Space enthusiasts, thrill seekers, researchers, teachers, filmmakers and others have been drawn to the experience. Some companies, including Hewlett Packard have used a Zero-G flight as a corporate reward.

“We don’t fit in any one particular niche. When you think about it most people are attracted to the idea of experiencing weightlessness,” Ward said.
For more information or to schedule an experience, visit www.nogravity.com