...to make one of those zero-G flights? Surely the laws of physics
that make such a flight possible work just as well many thousands of
feet over North America as they do a few thousand metres over
Eurasia. It would be a lot cheaper to have this weightless
experience if the cost of an overseas trip were not automatically
included. Heck, in the time it takes to fly to Russia, I could have
more 20-second spells of weightlessness than is probably offered by
any company today, and then land right back at D/FW (or Love Field).

Also, does a faster plane offer longer spells of zero-G? Would the
Concorde give you 40-second spells, or something like that?

Finally, imagine a craft that can just barely win the X-Prize. It
gives you five continuous minutes of weightlessness, and reaches 101
Km altitude. Could the same vessel (we'll assume SSTsubO) extend
the period of weightlessness by using a shallower trajectory (yes, I
know that means it'll fall short of X-Prize altitude, but by then it
will either have won the Prize or been beaten to it)?

Xenophile the Not-Weightless

> From: Xenophile [mailto:xenophile2002@...]
> Subject: [spacesettlers] Why do I have to go to Russia...
>
> ...to make one of those zero-G flights?

There is a US-based group that's fixing to offer this same service. I
remember reading a humorous account written by Penn Jillette (sp?) of his
experience on one of the early test flights. Seems like I read something in
the last couple of months about their plans moving ahead in some fashion.

Regards,

Mike Combs

seems that a correctly weighted diving outfit will give you the same
sensation of weightlessness, or close to it for a heck of a lot cheaper
price and a heck of a longer period.

Giant "parachute fans" where you wear bulky loose fitting outfit and float
on a column of air is also relatively cheap in comparrison to a vomet comet.

From: "Xenophile"
To:
Sent: Thursday, November 21, 2002 2:36 PM
Subject: [spacesettlers] Why do I have to go to Russia...

Both of these are fairly close, but not the quite same. Water is much
more viscous than air and you need scuba gear. Wearing bulky clothing
is, well, like wearing bulky clothing.

Also, I think part of the commercial vomet comet's business plan is
doing shoots for the film, TV, and advertising businesses.

On Thursday, November 21, 2002, at 06:00 PM, panamabob wrote:

> seems that a correctly weighted diving outfit will give you the same
> sensation of weightlessness, or close to it for a heck of a lot cheaper
> price and a heck of a longer period.
>
> Giant "parachute fans" where you wear bulky loose fitting outfit and
> float
> on a column of air is also relatively cheap in comparrison to a vomet
> comet.

Space tourism could be our ticket to the stars. Save your pennies,
suborbital flights for $100,000 may start in 2005! See
http://www.spaceadventures.com/suborbital for details.

Al Globus
CSC at NASA Ames Research Center
http://www.nas.nasa.gov/~globus/home.html

- In spacesettlers, Al Globus wrote:

> Both of these are fairly close, but not the quite same. Water is
> much more viscous than air and you need scuba gear. Wearing bulky
> clothing is, well, like wearing bulky clothing.

Yep. And there's a difference between *simulating* weightlessness
an *being* weightless. That said, I'd probably like the underwater
stuff, and I'd really like to try the indoor skydiving.

> Also, I think part of the commercial vomet comet's business plan
> is doing shoots for the film, TV, and advertising businesses.

Right! Come on, Hollywood, give us some zero-G martial arts fight
scenes! Do it NOW! Jackie Chan isn't getting any younger.

Hhhmmmmnnn...........

I'd reccommend that they find a... more attractive name than "Vomit
Comet." Maybe "Weightless Wonder" or some such.

Xenophile (munching on ginger root as he buys his Drammamine)

Hmmm, whats the price for the vomet comet again? Where do you have to go to
ride it? :-)

You can rent scuba equipment pretty cheap; usually around $20-$50 for
multiple hours of underwater flying ...

Lakes, rivers, ocean even pools are candidates nearby to everyone.

Perhaps i mistated about clothes for para flying experience, not really
bulky, rather loose fitting , like parachute pants to give you more air
resistence so that you float on column of air... all manner of acrobatics
are easy and fun to do...push off from one wall to another in a floating
sensation (with a little clothes flapping around edges and loud sound of
fan)

Although they may not be the real free fall experience, they can be had for
inconsequential fractions of what the cost of the more 'real" experience,
and cheaply repeatable, with privacy no less if desired.

:-) I know of several airhose divers that use ONLY a dive belt (for some
bouyancy control)...or nothing at all by controling the amoun of air in
their lungs ...rising of falling at their whim within the dimensions of the
water. No other acutrements, which again suggest the need for privacy , ,,

I'm a poor boy I am!

From: "Al Globus"
To:
Sent: Friday, November 22, 2002 10:46 AM
Subject: Re: [spacesettlers] Why do I have to go to Russia...