NASA, Zero-G agree on regular shuttle runway use
Orlando Business Journal
Thanks to a pilot program designed to expand runway access for non-NASA activities, Zero Gravity Corp. of Fort Lauderdale -- aka Zero-G -- has been granted permission to regularly use the space shuttle's runway and landing facility at Kennedy Space Center.
Beginning with its first flight for the public on June 24, Zero-G will conduct up to 280 weightless flights annually from the KSC facility using a modified Boeing 727-200 aircraft, called G-Force One. NASA has agreed to permit as many as seven Zero-G flights a week under a Space Act Agreement that provides for reimbursement of the agency's runway and support costs.
In November, Zero-G became the first company to participate in the pilot program to open the 15,000-foot runway for non-NASA use. The agreement is the first for regular non-NASA flights from the space center.
In addition to exposing passengers to the weightlessness astronauts experience while orbiting Earth, the Zero-G roller coaster-like flights also will allow flyers to experience the same gravity conditions felt on the moon and on Mars, providing a glimpse of what future NASA crews will encounter.
NASA officials say the scheduling of Zero-G flights from the space center will not interfere with NASA missions or other activities.
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