Pioneering Weightless Flight Kicks Off Society's 30th Anniversary Celebration

The National Space Society was the first public organization to charter a Zero Gravity Corporation parabolic flight. The flight, dubbed NSS-1, took off aboard ZERO-G's specially-modified Boeing 727 aircraft from Los Angeles' Burbank Airport on Friday, September 17.

"The members of this flight will be the first individuals to purchase their own tickets to weightlessness in the US", said George T. Whitesides (shown below, inverted, with fellow NSS member Loretta Hidalgo), NSS Executive Director. "We are proud that those individuals are NSS members."

"The day is coming when one can buy a ticket to space as easily as a ticket across the ocean. NSS looks forward to working with Zero Gravity Corporation to open a range of space experiences to our members and the American public."

Among those on board were leading personalities from entertainment, including the son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, the news media, and business leaders. Also onboard the flight was school teacher Jason Hillman, an NSS member from the Houston area. Hillman recorded weightless experiments during the flight to show the students back in Texas upon his return.

"Nothing excites kids like space," said Hillman. "I look forward to sharing the wonder and science of zero gravity with students and teachers back home."

The flight is the kickoff event for NSS' 30th anniversary, a year-long celebration marking three decades of grassroots space advocacy for a better future.

"At a time when the human race is irreversibly stepping off of the planet," said Peter H. Diamandis (below), MD, Co-Founder and CEO of Zero Gravity Corporation, "it is fitting that among the first to sample The ZERO-G Experience are members of the National Space Society and a legendary figure (Buzz Aldrin, who flew earlier in the week) in our country's space history."

About the National Space Society

The National Space Society (NSS) is an independent, international, grassroots organization dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization. Founded in 1974, NSS is widely acknowledged as the preeminent citizen's voice on space. NSS counts thousands of members and over 50 chapters in the United States and around the world. The society also publishes Ad Astra magazine, an award-winning periodical chronicling the most important developments in space.

FMI: http://www.nogravity.com, http://www.nss.org