Roller coaster injury lawyers mention that an extreme roller coaster is in the design phase that intends to bring the thrill (or torment, depending upon one’s point of view) of NASA’s notorious “Vomit Comet” flight path to dedicated roller coaster enthusiasts. This “zero gravity” coaster is the brainchild of BRC Imagination Arts.
It will simulate a full 9 seconds of micro gravity, or “zero gravity” as we perceive it, enough time to experience the thrill (or terror) of simulated space flight. Of course, there’s always the philosophical question of why so many people desire these extreme experiences that feel like they bring you to the brink of death. After all, death comes soon enough for all of us.
Truth be told, the closest I wish to get to space flight is a Star Trek rerun. As one who spends much time delving into personal injury matters and transportation accidents of all varieties, I personally find that earth-bound transportation carries more than enough danger for any adventure seeker. Want a thrill? Our roller coaster injury lawyers suggest you drive through downtown Houston at rush hour in a construction zone just before a holiday when thousands of frustrated travelers are on their way to Galveston.
But our roller coaster injury lawyers realize that you probably would prefer to ride the “zero gravity” coaster. Sadly, the coaster’s projected to cost around $1 million to build. So tickets probably will reflect the building cost. But for extreme roller coaster fanatics, the price may be worth it.
Popular Science says that to create the illusion of weightlessness for the rider, the roller coaster will take advantage of a linear induction motor system that will carry the coaster up the track with “unprecedented precision.” As it approaches a speed of 100 mph, it will suddenly and very slightly decelerate just enough to push the passengers up from their seats. Then it will again adjust its speed, this time to “fly in formation” with and around the riders.
The ride must account for the unique weight of any given group of riders in order to do this matched speed formation flying and create the sensation of zero gravity. Then as the coaster begins to drop down the incline, it will again match its speed to that of the falling riders, extending the feeling of weightlessness by precious additional seconds.
(Most coasters do not match speeds with the falling riders. The falling riders usually experience additional gravitational forces because of this mismatch in acceleration, an altogether different sort of adrenaline rush for the coaster enthusiast.) For more on this topic, read our roller coaster injury lawyers’ discussion of extreme roller coasters and their deadly thrill.