Sunday 12 January 2014

Week 14: Zero Gravity Roller Coaster

The latest project of California-based designer Studio BRC Imagination Arts is breathtaking. Literally. The company has developed a rollercoaster, which acts as a launcher, allowing passengers to float in zero gravity for eight seconds. The whole idea is based on the aircraft used by NASA to train astronauts – the so-called "Vomit Comet". Imagination Art’s project combines business with pleasure.
Thrill seekers would sit in a cable car which would then be launched at 160km/h. Going up the ramp, the car would slow down a bit, and the passengers would start floating. Then it would descend and repeat the maneuver, allowing people to float some more.
The whole ride would be supervised by a complicated computer system, analyzing the weight of the passengers and controlling the velocity of the cable car, adjusting the speed of descend. This would allow the passengers to float in zero gravity-like conditions for about 8 seconds.
According to Imagination Arts, building such a rollercoaster could even cost 50 million dollars. Most of the money would be spent on computer systems and machines to control the car’s acceleration. The company claims that the project could be implemented over several months.
Another advantage of this rollercoaster is that people would have fun and learn at the same time. The designers want to install a “scientist’s kit” in front of every seat, allowing the passengers to see how different things react to zero gravity. A little ball and some water would be placed in special transparent containers.
I think that the project looks interesting. If it’s ever implemented, I would love to ride this rollercoaster!



Do you like this kind of entertainment? Would you like to feel as if you were floating in space?

7 comments:

  1. I am SO gonna go for that! I always wanted to do something like that, that's why I always wen't for the tower in all amusement parcs. There you have about a second or two of zero-gravity. So great!

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  2. I would love to try this ride. I think that those kinds of activities simulating life in space are becoming more and more popular. People now have to pay thousands of dollars to feel zero gravity in a special flight where the airplane is flying vertically down and for those few seconds you can feel like you are in the outer space. Creating that kind of roller coaster would definitely not only help scientists but also “normal” people in experiencing new things that they can only see in TV.

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  3. Do you like this kind of entertainment?
    It is kind of hard to say do I like it, as i never had chance to experience it. Form the provided wideo in the post I can say that after all people had some good experience from it.
    Would you like to feel as if you were floating in space?
    Sure thing I would. I think that most of us would like to try something like this at last once in the life time. It have to be pretty amazing feeling while floating in the air.

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  4. It would be lovely to try something like that. It is really something unique and unforgetable I think. It would be great to be able to feel like you were in space.!

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  5. Experiencing zero gravity, even for just few seconds as an entertainment? Where do I sign? I was amazed reading the article and watching the video. Idea of creating a rollercoaster which will allow people to experience zero gravity sounds pretty good but I was even more surprised by the video itself. This program for students is such a great opportunity and I am simply jealous that we do not have similar programs here in Poland.

    As to such flights itself I have read about something similar before after seeing zero gravity flight in a movie once. It got interested and as I researched internet I found a webpage of a company which aims not only at experiencing weightlessness in zero gravity but at opening the space frontier for private people. Here is a link if anyone wants to know more about it as it sounds really interesting http://www.spaceadventures.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Our_Vision.welcome

    All in all great project and I would certainly want to have a go at it.

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  6. I would like to experience. From the little I liked amusement park. So far I like the adrenaline, and something would be invaluable to feel as though for a moment in space.

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  7. I would totally love to give this a try. I really feel so sad that we don't have a single decent rollercoaster or even an amusement park in THE WHOLE POLAND..! While people somewhere in other areas of the world are enjoying such awesome things. Envy and sadness, that's what I feel when thinking about it. Maybe they should construct one in Poland, so people can become a little happier and less grumpy, haha.

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