Fast Facts About Gravity and Zero Gravity

The Northrop Grumman Weightless Flights of Discovery is a program designed to inspire students to pursue science and technical careers by inspiring their teachers first. More than 200 teachers are taken on a Zero-G parabolic flight in order to experience weightlessness and perform experiments.

What Is Gravity? Gravity is the tendency of objects with mass to be attracted to one another. The force of gravity is what causes planets to orbit the sun and humans to remain firmly planted on the Earth's surface.

So What Is Zero Gravity? These zero gravity flights do not, as the name suggests, create a complete lack of gravity. "Zero gravity" as used here describes the act of an object freefalling with no resistance, also known as weightlessness. Astronauts experience near zero gravity or microgravity in orbit. The Zero-G flights create the same sensation for a brief period of time. Astronauts have been training in a specially designed plane which achieves reduced gravity since 1959.

How Will These Teachers Achieve Zero Gravity? The teachers will be flying aboard a Zero-G craft called G-Force One. Similar to what NASA uses, G-Force One is a modified Boeing 727 that creates a zero gravity experience through a parabolic flight maneuver. Specially trained pilots fly these maneuvers between approximately 24,000 and 34,000 feet altitude. Each parabola takes 10 miles of airspace to perform and lasts approximately one minute from start to finish. At the crests, passengers experience zero gravity, while, at the troughs, their weight nearly doubles. A full flight lasts about 90 minutes and includes 15 parabolic arcs.

How Can I Achieve Zero Gravity? If you were able to travel to the exact center of the Earth, you would also find yourself weightless. For those unwilling to travel through molten lava for a zero gravity experience, you can also achieve it by skydiving, braving a roller coaster or riding on an elevator.

Sources:

http://www.aolsvc.worldbook.aol.com/wb/Article?id=ar233440

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weightlessness

http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/sts-121_front/index.html