Reduced-gravity aircraft

Trajectory for zero gravity maneuver
Project Mercury astronauts on board a C-131 Samaritan flying as the "vomit comet" in 1959
KC-135 0-G aircraft nicknamed "Vomit Comet"
Physicist Stephen Hawking on board a reduced-gravity aircraft in April 2007

A reduced-gravity aircraft is a type of fixed-wing aircraft that provides brief near-weightless environments for training astronauts, conducting research, and making gravity-free movie shots.

Versions of such airplanes were operated by the NASA Reduced Gravity Research Program,[1] and one is currently operated by the Human Spaceflight and Robotic Exploration Programmes of the European Space Agency. The unofficial nickname "vomit comet" became popular among those who experienced their operation.[2]

  1. ^ "NASA Reduced Gravity Research Program". Jsc-aircraft-ops.jsc.nasa.gov. 2009-03-17. Archived from the original on 2009-08-25. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
  2. ^ "NASA - What's the Vomit Comet?". Archived from the original on May 5, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2012.