Are there any places that you can become weightless other than space?
One of the most exciting things about being in space is being weightless...floating! Scientists call this being in microgravity.
Being in orbit around the Earth is really just being in freefall around the Earth. This freefall creates a microgravity environment where things float.
One way to simulate microgravity on Earth is to simulate this freefall. A turbojet owned by NASA does just this. By flying really high in the air and then falling (nose pointed down!) the people in the plane experience short periods (20 seconds) of weightlessness. NASA uses this turbojet to train astronauts.
The nickname of the turbojet is the "Vomit Comet". (Can you guess why?) Most first-time passengers experience motion sickness to some degree. Losing one's breakfast in microgravity can get very messy!
Submitted by Alex (age 12, Denver, Colorado, USA)
(December 8,1997)
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