Training to become an
astronaut requires an applicant to endure physically demanding and stressful
tests -various machines and simulators measure each trainee's response to the
rigors of space travel. Today, an entirely unrelated industry uses many of
these simulators and other devices only for entertainment, like special
aircrafts.
A reduced-gravity
aircraft is a type of fixed-wing aircraft that provides brief near-weightless (because
only negligible gravitational forces are present) environments for training
astronauts, conducting research and making gravity-free movie shots.
Zero GravityCorporation became the first company in the United States to offer zero-g
flights to the general public, using Boeing 727 jets. Each flight consists of
around 15 parabolas, including simulations of the gravity levels of the Moon
and Mars, as well as complete weightlessness. This profile allows ZERO-G's
clients to enjoy weightlessness with minimal motion discomfort. The cost is
approximately $5,450 (€5,180).
How things work:
The zero-gravity of
space is simulated by flying a series of parabolic flight maneuvers that
counter the forces of gravity and allow the astronauts and cosmonauts to learn
how to accomplish tasks with no gravity. Think of an airplane, flying up and
over a hill. At the top of the hill, just as the plane starts its flight path
back toward earth, gravity seems to disappear and everything inside the plane
starts to float.
The aircraft must climb at a steep angle (about 45 degrees),
level off, and then dive, creating a path called a parabolic arc (also called a
Keplerian Trajectory or free-fall path). In a true parabolic arc, the only
accelerative force is gravity pulling in a vertical direction-horizontal
velocity remains constant. Because of air resistance, objects in Earth's
atmosphere only travel in arcs that approximate a true parabola.
Ready to takeoff!!!!
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