Zero gravity ride could be coming to a city near you

You might think the only way to experience the exhilaration of zero gravity is to be a NASA astronaut. If that career choice seems a little too far out for you, however, there’s still a way to get in on the excitement thanks to a company known as Zero G.

Zero G gives civilians the chance to float in zero gravity conditions by using a specially designed Boeing 727 aircraft and a flight experience that is unlike any other trip you’ve experienced.

According to the company’s official website, the custom-built aircraft is built to do special “aerobatic maneuvers” called parabolas. This movement starts at 24,000 feet elevation, at which point the pilot slowly pulls the plane up to a 45-degree angle until the aircraft reaches 32,000 feet. During this climb, passengers experience a 1.8 G pull on their bodies, almost twice the number of Gs we experience when standing on the ground.

Then, like the biggest, fastest roller coaster you can imagine, the pilot pushes the plane into the downward side of the parabola for about 2o to 30 seconds. This creates a zero-G effect in the plane, making everything weightless. When this happens, you can float around just like the astronauts do on the International Space Station!

This pattern is repeated three to five times during a typical flight, allowing passengers to experience weightlessness numerous times with a few breaks in between to settle back into normal gravity conditions.

Zero G also gives guests a chance to experience what gravity feels like on the moon (one-sixth your weight) and on Mars (one-third your weight). Each parabolic arc flown provides different sensations on the body that thrill-seekers will love!

These flight tickets aren’t a bargain, though. A flight with Zero G will cost about $5,400 plus tax. This package also includes flight merchandise, training, pre- and post-flight catering, professional photos and a certificate of weightless completion.

Zero G flights are making their way to a number of U.S. cities including Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, DC. Check the Zero G official website for a full schedule of upcoming flights around the country through November 2020.