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Space Technology

Swiss Space Systems Announces Plan To Offer World's Cheapest Zero-G Flights 64

Zothecula (1870348) writes "Although you'll probably never make it to outer space, Swiss Space Systems (S3) is at least trying to move the zero-gravity experience a little closer to reality for the average person. This week, the company announced its plans to start offering what it claims will be the world's cheapest weightlessness-inducing flights, from 15 international locations."
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Swiss Space Systems Announces Plan To Offer World's Cheapest Zero-G Flights

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  • Gives a new meaning to Hurling Through Space... Do they scrub it down between flight? Maybe not on discount flights. Mmmm will smell great... Bring your cat...
    • Gives a new meaning to Hurling Through Space...

      Do they scrub it down between flight? Maybe not on discount flights. Mmmm will smell great...

      Bring your cat...

      That depends on how they design it. A while back I was going to start my own bar and when it came to the bathroom design I was going to have it tiled, floor, ceiling and walls. With shower heads in the ceiling and a central drain with an industrial garbage disposal in the floor. The plumber thought I was a genius when he quoted it(probably because it wasn't going to be cheap) but I eventually abandon the entire venture when I realized I'd be a hardcore alcoholic within 6 months if I went ahead with it.

      • If that was your only worry about opening a bar... Here in Montreal within a week you'll have your local thugs muscling in. No matter how upscale the neighborhood looks during the day. I used to work in Old Montreal when there was a broad daylight assassination on my street. The bar also had regular stabbings at night...

        • If that was your only worry about opening a bar... Here in Montreal within a week you'll have your local thugs muscling in. No matter how upscale the neighborhood looks during the day. I used to work in Old Montreal when there was a broad daylight assassination on my street. The bar also had regular stabbings at night...

          Yea, I have an uncle that ran a bar as well. Those guys tend to stop bothering you when you pull a 12guage out from under the counter. You can't do that in Montreal though I don't think.

      • A friend did something similar with his kids bathroom.

        Used a product similar to truck bed liner, but made to go over stick/tile backer board construction.

        When he has to clean it, he just turns on the shower and uses the hand held shower-head (aka 'the wife's best friend') to wash the whole room down.

      • when it came to the bathroom design I was going to have it tiled, floor, ceiling and walls. With shower heads in the ceiling and a central drain with an industrial garbage disposal in the floor.

        I have seen bathrooms like that in Japan (except for the garbage disposal). Basically, the whole bathroom is a shower stall. It saves space in a tiny apartment, and makes cleaning easy.

        • I have seen bathrooms like that in Japan

          In Japan you wash yourself - soap down and rinse - *outside* the tub. You only get into the tub after you're clean. So yes, the entire room *is* a shower stall.

          That's why the toilet is in a completely different room from the tub.

    • Sounds like an ideal way to transmit norovirus. Be sure to schedule a flight before going on your holiday cruise [cdc.gov].
    • by spitzak ( 4019 )

      According to the FA it is divided into 3 rooms (first class, second, and budget?). Maybe they only clean the first two between flights.

    • Airplane barf is a well-explored phenomenon. To quote The Graduate, plastics.

  • by OglinTatas ( 710589 ) on Thursday May 22, 2014 @01:36PM (#47068975)

    For 1 dollar I will push you off a cliff. You'll have to sign a waiver first though, because the safety record is atrocious.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward

      For 1 dollar I will push you off a cliff. You'll have to sign a waiver first though, because the safety record is atrocious.

      For $0.99 I will push you off a high dive. It cheeper and safer than my competitors company that will try to kill you.

    • I just poke the "down" button and jump when the elevator starts moving.
  • Pricing (Score:4, Informative)

    by mmmmbeer ( 107215 ) on Thursday May 22, 2014 @01:36PM (#47068981)

    FTFA:

    The planes will be divided into three sections. For a price of under €2,000 (US$2,700), you'll get to share the Party Room with up to 39 other "cheapskates" (for comparison, flights with one of S3's established competitors start at $4,950). If you're willing to pay €5,000 ($6,800), however, you can be one of 28 people in the Premium Zone – this will include the chance to play with items such as liquids and balloons, plus it will get you an exclusive Breitling S3 ZeroG wristwatch and an S3 flight suit to take home.

    Finally, a dozen passengers can enjoy a "tailor-made experience" in the VIP Room, which will cost an even €50,000 ($68,000) to book – all of those people will also get a watch and a flight suit.

    • is whoring legal in switzerland? for €50K in the "VIP room" i'd better get a blowjob along with my watch and souvenir suit.

      • holy shit! slashdot now accepts (a subset of) unicode input without mangling it! welcome to the 21st century.

      • by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

        is whoring legal in switzerland? for â50K in the "VIP room" i'd better get a blowjob along with my watch and souvenir suit.

        Given it's probably like the Vomit Comet, if you can get it done in 30 seconds, then yeah. If not, well, it's going to be... interesting.

        After all, Zero-G did it first, but they charge around $5k/person, so this Swiss company doing it for half that price is interesting.

        Then again, I think the Zero-G experience is more of the "premium" experience, so the prices are comparable. It's

      • by delt0r ( 999393 )
        Clearly you have never lived in Switzerland. For 50K you mite get a car park for a year or a cheap watch, they may even let you open a "peasant" bank account, but if you want a BJ you going to have to live with a 60year old that hasn't had a STD test for 20 years. And its probably a dude.
    • how much for a private room where you can attempt to bone your partner? (apparently there are some difficulties maintaining position in zero g)

      Or is that what the "party room" is for?

      • how much for a private room where you can attempt to bone your partner? (apparently there are some difficulties maintaining position in zero g)

        Well, more than that, if this is using the same techniques as the vomit comet NASA uses, you only get 'weightless' for about 30 seconds or so at a time before the plane has to do it all over again.

        You're not going to get several consecutive minutes of this.

        So, coitus interruptus is going to be a pretty constant problem, and the flight crew is going to have to be cons

      • Fundies, underwear for two. Look it up, where there's a will there's a way.

    • FTFA:

      Finally, a dozen passengers can enjoy a "tailor-made experience" in the VIP Room, which will cost an even €50,000 ($68,000) to book – all of those people will also get a watch and a flight suit.

      and a 0G lap dance!

    • Thank you.
      If only slashdot could figure out a way to take the most relevant information in an article.. and somehow put it at the top of the comment section.. Hmm, what could we call it?

  • by Jethro ( 14165 ) on Thursday May 22, 2014 @01:52PM (#47069153) Homepage

    I like this trend. Ok, it's not a trend yet but I hope it will be. Yeah, I'll probably never make it into space and even if I do it'll probably only be "technically" space, rather than OH MY GOD I'M IN SPACE. But this is something I've always wanted to do, but I'd rather not spend $5K on it.

    So come on, more competition, preferably while I'm still young!

  • It will nobody go to this project.NEVER EVER.First of all it costs too much and many people are scared of it.With the money, I could buy many good things.
    • Never underestimate what people with lots of money will spend it on.

      I'd love to have about 1% of all of the money wasted in expensive champagne which is sprayed in hipster VIP lounges every year -- I'm betting I could pay off my house pretty quickly.

      And the more money people have, the stupider the things they spend it on.

      Oh, to have that problem. I'd love to have enough money that I could spend stuff on stupid shit and not care.

  • Malaysian Airlines?

  • Have you seen airliners on terminal approach to Luton Airport? If that doesn't leave you with your balls in your mouth just watching from the ground, you're not paying attention. They hit harder than carrier landings there.

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts." -- Bertrand Russell

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