Zero G Flight

I got the space bug as a child after watching Neil Armstrong land on the moon in 1969, and through most of high school I desperately wanted to be an astronaut. However, I did not have a good experience with the military during the application process, so I decided to bail on that desire – a decision I’m very grateful for, as I now realize that space is not at all health-friendly. I am convinced that staying in outer space for prolonged periods of time will drastically decrease your lifespan due to exposure to unprotected ionizing radiation.

However, I always thought it would be great to experience weightlessness.

Well, the only way to experience that, without going into space, is on special planes -- similar to the ones that astronauts actually train in -- that provide about 30 seconds of zero gravity, allowing you to float weightlessly in mid-air.

In May, I flew out to Las Vegas to fly on one of these planes with about thirty other guys. The flights are not cheap, and I’m not sure I would have actually paid that much for it, but I happened to win this prize in a contest I entered so it was a great opportunity for me.

As I suspected, it was an absolutely amazing experience, as you can tell by the expressions on my face as I recorded myself during the flight.

Now, while the flight grants you periods of weightlessness, there is also a conservation of energy going on here, so for the same amount of time that you are weightless, you also experience weighing twice as much as you would normally. It was great fun doing pushups when I weighed 350 pounds.  Normally I can rip through 50 without a problem but it was a challenge to do even a few at that weight.