RAWKIN_coaster38 Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Article from Popular Science: A Roller Coaster That'll Leave You Weightless for Eight Long Seconds: The plan costs $50 million, but it'll be unlike any roller coaster ever built Kingda Ka, the tallest roller coaster on Earth, drops its passengers a life-flashing 418 feet. Ferrari World’s Formula Rossa, the fastest, literally takes riders’ breath away at speeds of up to 150 mph. Though thrilling, these are phenomena of degree, not kind. BRC Imagination Arts, a Southern California design firm, has proposed something entirely new: a ride that creates the sensation of zero gravity for up to eight seconds at a time. BRC drew its concept from the “Vomit Comet,” the plane NASA uses to train astronauts. The KC-135A aircraft flies a looping parabolic path, creating about 25 seconds of microgravity each time it zips up and over the parabola’s camelback hump. BRC’s proposed theme-park ride would travel a somewhat simpler trajectory—up and then back down a soaring steel edifice, similar to the existing “Superman: Escape from Krypton” coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California. But unlike Superman and other open-car coasters, the vomit-comet ride would be fully enclosed. Rather than the thrill of hurtling forward to one’s perceived doom, riders would enjoy the illusion of floating within a stable chamber. To create that illusion, a linear induction motor system would speed coasters up the track with unprecedented precision. As the coaster approached a top speed of more than 100 mph, it would suddenly and ever so slightly decelerate—just enough to throw the passengers up from their seats, like stones from a catapult—and then quickly adjust its speed to fly in formation with and around the passengers. (The ride’s calculations would correspond to the unique heft of any particular group.) As the coaster reached the top of the track and began to drop back down, the computer system would continue to match its speed to that of the falling passengers, extending the sensation of weightlessness for several additional seconds, and finally rapidly decelerate to a stop back at the base station. Roller coasters typically cost no more than $30 million, but Bob Rogers, BRC’s founder and chief creative officer, says the zero-gravity ride would cost $50 million or more, in large part because the precision-response propulsion system is so complex. But if someone were to write a check today, Rogers says, his company could be sending riders on weightless journeys by the end of 2013—and the new owners could make money on the side by renting the coaster after hours to scientists who wanted to perform the tests they now run using NASA’s original Vomit Comet. Simply by heading over to the amusement park, they too will be able to experience the equivalent of eight seconds in outer space—which, Rogers says, “will feel like forever.” INSIDE THE RIDEPassengers would enter the coaster through gull-wing doors, face forward, and sit upright, six to 16 to a car. They would buckle into simple two-point restraints, but the belts would be kept slightly slack so they would have room to rise out of their seats. Once aboard, they could remove from a small stand in front of their seats one of several tethered “scientific packages”—a cup filled with water, a ball, a gyroscope. In addition to experiencing weightlessness, they would be able to observe how the selected object changed properties in zero gravity. The cars would also be outfitted with drains. Should the ride live up to its nauseous namesake, attendants at the unloading stations would be ready with hoses. From: http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2012-01/zero-gravity-roller-coaster Another longer one from space.com can be found here: http://www.space.com/14658-vomit-comet-gravity-roller-coaster.html?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=SP_02232012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doublestufforeo Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 I'd probably get really motion sick considering you'd be going straight up without a reference point to look at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry_Gumball Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Over-analyzing coaster nerd begins: I like how the concept shows a single track and the ride's running in 2-train mode. Would be much like slapping a second train on a shuttle loop (without a dual station like Mr Freeze). Ok, done over-analyzing. Seems like a cool idea, would be curious to try it out, or see a video rendering of this in action for a better understanding on how this would work. I get the basic idea that it's an extremely close resemblance to S:EFK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousReed Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 I saw this. It seems EXACTLY like S:EFK, only difference is faster, higher, longer, and enclosed. Imagine if this ride concept actually came to life...Yay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Farmer Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Arrow's Fish-hook sounded cooler. Also, sounds like they would have a hell of a time with the "ever so slight deceleration" and subsequent adjustment to produce the weightlessness. I could only ever see this coming to fruition at Hard Rock Park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
australianalex Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Isn't there a thread about this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ27 Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 ^I'm pretty sure there is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAWKIN_coaster38 Posted February 26, 2012 Author Share Posted February 26, 2012 ^^Sorry, there may be. I looked and didn't see one but I could have missed something. EDIT: Here it is: http://themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=61791&hilit=zero+gravity Not sure how I missed this the first time?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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