NASA researchers will conduct experiments later this year on two near-weightless flights operated by the Zero Gravity (Zero-G) Corporation of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Under a contract NASA signed with Zero-G, the company will supply two demonstration flights. The flights will allow NASA to evaluate the ability of this new commercial provider to augment the agency’s parabolic research flight services.
Zero-G will conduct the flights with NASA researchers in mid-September. Much like NASA’s own specially-equipped microgravity research airplane, the Zero-G aircraft will fly a series of parabolas to simulate weightless or reduced-gravity conditions for the passengers and payloads. NASA retired its own “Weightless Wonder” KC-135 research aircraft in October 2004. The agency will begin operating a new research jet aircraft, a C-9 acquired from the U.S. Navy, later this year.
NASA’s Reduced Gravity Program is managed at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston. For information about NASA and agency programs on the Internet, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html
For information about Zero Gravity Corporation on the Internet, visit:
