![]() |
INCREDIBLE ADVENTURES |
HOME | ABOUT US | BLOG | LATEST NEWS | FEATURED VIDEOS | CONTACT US |
![]() |
![]() |
After a tea and small toast breakfast (and no alcohol the night before, which really seemed to make a difference for the whole day, including sleep) Brian from the UK and an Italian couple and myself got loaded into the bus heading for Star City, or to be more precise, its airstrip from where the Cosmonauts used to fly their L-39 to Baykonur etc. With the money restrictions of today's economy they no longer fly the L-39 themselves (therefore saving money on not having to keep their flight status alive), but are now taxied around by military pilots. The L-39 however nicely lined the runway. The Italian couple won a contest in their home country and had otherwise no connections with the program; therefore their anxiety levels were even higher than ours. I was rather relaxed as I fully expected to have a miserable time in the vomit comet. The tough experience the day before in the L-39 clearly showed me, that my stomach has other ideas of fun. I did swallow a motion sickness pill just like the day before though. Brian was as tough
as they come: His hobby is flying MiGs. So far he has done one L-39
and two MiG-29 flights and he enjoys it without ever getting sick. He
has Once we got to the airfield we were joined by Brazilian pop star Lulu Santos and his movie team of cameraman, director and producer. They were planning on shooting a music clip on the plane in which Lulu is floating in space. Lots of gear including a professional 35mm camera have to be loaded into the huge Illushin-76, which towers over the area. Lulu is the nicest guy: After we emptied our bladders next to the runway (a wise thing, trust me!), he introduces himself. As if I hadn't already known who he was! Along with us about
another 20 people, all Zero G flight instructors board the plane, of
which the bottom is laid out with gym mattresses. They divide the inside
into Finally we take
off. Funny thing if you're lying flat on the floor in a room with no
windows. You hear the incredibly loud engines (as typical for military
planes, there is no sound insulation) and feel some motion but otherwise
couldn't really tell that And Baby, does this
thing come on like nothing you have ever felt in your life! My legs
immediately lift off towards the ceiling. The same appears to happen
to my Next parabola is
rest time for me, which means walking on the ceiling, taking it easy.
Meanwhile Brian has curled up into a ball and the instructors play Volley
with During the next few parabolas my nerves are getting a bit more exposed and a general feeling of uneasiness sets in, but I still enjoy my floating about. The cosmonaut is now lying down, sickness bag in hand and is about to fill it up. Can't watch that or I'll be next. No sign of the Italians and Lulu is hanging upside down next to the emergency exit. The instructors race to him, to grab him, before he crashes onto his head as the plane levels off. Several parabolas later, we land. I guess the least happy camper at this moment is our cosmonaut candidate. The Russians whisper to me, that this might be a career limiting experience although it does happen to them too and that most likely he will be given another chance in the vomit comet.
Eventually we get all back into the hotel for another good night's sleep, no alcohol for me again and sweet dreams of the next day's adventures. << Back - Next: Centrifuge >> E-mail or call Incredible Adventures today for a full color brochure, schedules, details and rates: 800 644-7382 Space Adventures - Download the brochure in pdf format - (1.2MB) |
||
|
Copyright ©2024. All rights reserved. |