- The term zero gravity refers to the weightlessness experienced when the centrifugal force on a body of mass offsets the gravitational attraction to it. In zero gravity, you create or experience a weightless environment, whereby resistance to an object is canceled out.
- One way to create zero gravity is by flying on an airplane. By ascending a steep angle, leveling off and then creating a dive (known as a parabolic arc), the plane creates a force that pulls gravity in a vertical motion. Everything that is in a horizontal velocity remains the same.
- To simulate zero gravity, a plane will fly at an altitude of 24,000 to 32,000 feet. A pilot must have enough distance to maneuver from his ascent to a rapid descent. When the plane is in its peak of the parabolic arc, it will be in a 45-degree angle. As the plane accelerates, it creates a force with a pull of 1.8 times the strength of gravity. When the plane reaches the top of the parabolic arc, the centrifugal force that is employed on any bodies of mass is canceled out by a gravitational pull. This causes to you experience a free fall, or zero gravity.
- You can also experience weightlessness in orbit. As a rocket or spacecraft accelerates, an astronaut's body accelerates at the same rate. Weightlessness occurs because there is no contact force. The body cannot experience gravity because there is no other opposing force.
