Sharper Image Adds Weightless Flights to Its List of Unique and Innovative Offerings
LAS VEGAS, NV – March 28, 2007 – Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G®), the first and only FAA-approved provider of commercial weightless flights, announced today that the Sharper Image Corporation (NASDAQ: SHRP) will exclusively market and sell seats on ZERO-G’s public flights. The experience offered by ZERO-G is the only commercial opportunity on Earth for individuals to experience true “weightlessness” without going to space.
Reservations for seats on the ZERO-G Experience™ will be made available through Sharper Image’s 187 specialty-retail stores, their monthly catalog and www.sharperimage.com beginning May 15. The agreement calls for Sharper Image to make a significant seat guarantee for the first year and a sizeable marketing commitment through their catalog, online, and in-store displays. ZERO-G also will be featured on the cover of Sharper Image’s Father’s Day catalog. Regular ZERO-G flights depart from Las Vegas and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For the current flight schedule, more information or to book a seat, visit www.GoZeroG.com or call 1-800-937-6480.
“Sharper Image is the highest quality retail name for cutting-edge products, and we believe its brand and customer base is a great match with the ZERO-G audience,” said Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, CEO and Co-Founder of ZERO-G. “The general public now has convenient access to an incredible adventure that was previously only available to a select few. Sharper Image will help provide our exclusive zero-gravity experience to anyone who ever wanted to fly like superman or float like a butterfly.”
Jerry Levin, Chairman and CEO of Sharper Image said, “I recently went weightless with ZERO-G; it was truly an amazing experience and I am eager for our customers to have access to it. We look forward to sharing the opportunity with thousands of people. It is exactly the type of product that our customers have come to know as part of the unique, Sharper Image brand.”
The ZERO-G Experience is the identical weightless flight encounter used by NASA to train its astronauts and used by Ron Howard and Tom Hanks to film Apollo 13. Weightless flight is an experience that few have tried, but those who have call it amazing and life-changing. Martha Stewart, Billy Bush, Burt Rutan and cast members of “The Apprentice” and “The Biggest Loser” are just a few notable passengers who’ve flown with ZERO-G and proclaimed it to be one of the most thrilling experiences of their lives. Numerous astronauts including Buzz Aldrin and Anousheh Ansari also have enjoyed ZERO-G voyages. ZERO-G has played a major role in several blockbuster hits including Matrix 2 and Matrix 3.
Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Las Vegas, ZERO-G is led by a world-class team of veteran astronauts and experienced business leaders. The company was co-founded by Dr. Diamandis and veteran astronaut, Dr. Byron K. Lichtenberg. The duo spent more than a decade working to bring the marvel of weightless flight to the public. Since launching the ZERO-G Experience to the general public in September 2004, the company has conducted about 100 weightless flights and flown more than 2,500 passengers, including celebrities and media personalities, corporate charters, science and math teachers, and individuals age 12 to 85.
The ZERO-G Experience consists of a brief training session for passengers followed by a 90-minute flight aboard G-Force One, during which parabolic maneuvers are performed. The controlled ascent and descent of the plane allows flyers to experience Martian gravity (1/3-gravity), Lunar gravity (1/6-gravity), and zero gravity. The ZERO-G Experience provides its flyers with twice the amount of weightless time achieved in a typical sub-orbital flight into space. ZERO-G operates under the highest safety standards as set by the FAA (Part-121) with its partner Amerijet International of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Aircraft operations take place under the same regulations set for large commercial passenger airliners.
About ZERO-G
Zero Gravity Corporation (www.GoZeroG.com) is a privately held space entertainment and tourism company whose mission is to make the excitement and adventure of space accessible to the public. ZERO-G is based in Las Vegas and Florida and is the first and only FAA-approved provider of weightless flight to the general public, as well as the entertainment and film industries; corporate and incentive market; non-profit research and education sectors; and government. For more information about ZERO-G, please visit http://www.GoZeroG.com or call 1-800-937-6480.
About Sharper Image
The Sharper Image is a specialty retailer that is nationally and internationally renowned as a leading source of new, innovative, high-quality products that make life better and more enjoyable. The Company’s principal selling channels include 187 Sharper Image specialty stores throughout the United States; the award-winning Sharper Image monthly catalog; and its primary Web site, www.sharperimage.com. The Company also has business-to-business sales teams for marketing its exclusive and proprietary products for corporate incentive and reward programs and wholesale to selected U.S. and international retailers.
For More Information:
Natalie Mounier, Kirvin Doak Communications
702-737-3100; nmounier@kirvindoak.com