P.S. Any video can be improved by adding a little Tomoyasu Hotei! Well done.

P.S.S. Xeni: Next chance you get ask Buzz where he gets his flight suits tailored. Your’s needs it real bad!

I want to compliment you happy mutants on the production quality of these bbtv spots. They are really fantastically done. There has been constant improvement since you first introduced them, and now they are really excellent. Great editing, awesome music. Really top notch. Just wanted to say that.

The idea is to try not to add more stress and input for your inner ear. That’s what makes you hurl, the confusing data input. The barfies happen in the heavy G pullup periods, not because of the weightless periods. So you can totally party out when you’re floating, but be still when it’s heavy.

Also altoids and gum and ginger or ginger candy are all helpful. There are drugs used by astronauts in training, also, like scopolamine and dexedrine, which is basically like legal speedballs. But that’s a bit much for this kind of fun recreational flight. I try to avoid psychoactive drugs unless absolutely critical for some medical emergency or something, so I just sucked on Altoids and kept my head still and followed the space-yoga advice.

The Zero G company has actually kind of tailored the duration of the flights, the parabolas, and the intensity of the experience based on what they’ve learned is general human tolerance. So it’s not as hardcore as the NASA KC135 flights, and people really aren’t pushed to the barfing point. Maybe one or two people get sick on a flight, but with some basic tips, and with the way Zero G does their thing now, it’s a totally pleasurable experience. I can’t recommend it enough.

BUT

What is the carbon foot print cost for that?

If you’re into science at all, this is an absolute must-do experience. Don’t be afraid of it – the strange thing is, when you are in free fall, you don’t feel like you are falling! This was the most surprising thing to me.

I’ve blogged about the experience and the experiments here: http://rjwoodhead.blogspot.com/

PS: Xeni, if you think you had a bad hair day, let me tell you, there was a teenager on our flight who had long, curly red hair. She became a total puffball.

I look forward to your next flight with the Mark II Menticulation apparatus. I just love the “high falutin sciencey talk” you employ on your blog.

I hope your kids know how lucky they are! All my dad wanted to teach me was Latin and geopolitics. Of course now I’m glad he did, but not so much when I was ten!

That looked like a hell of a lot of fun.

seethe, seethe.

btw, I don’t get sick in space.

You left the atmosphere?

@Waugsqueke, thank you very very much — your words make the whole BB/BBtv team feel very proud. Really thank you.

@marley9, no, Dr. Buzz Aldrin taught us some helpful tricks on how to avoid motion sickness in microgravity flights. :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vomit_Comet

http://nortontoday.symantec.com/features/detours/blastoff/index.php

(I think it’s cool, but please delete if this violates your spam/advertising policy.)

seriously, this looks soooooooo fun. i’m jealous!