BRC is the also the design firm behind the Shuttle Launch Experience simulator
It appears that BRC Imagination Arts, a Southern California design firm, has a zero gravity roller coaster proposal that’s waiting for a US$50 million investment. According to PopSci, BRC’s proposed theme-park ride is inspired by NASA’s astronaut training aircraft the KC-135 (aka “Vomit Comet“) and would give riders the sensation of floating within a stable chamber.
During a 2-3 hour NASA training flight, the KC-135 aircraft performs 30-40 parabolic plunges that create 20-25 seconds of microgravity – the sensation astronauts are expected to experience when traveling in space. In an attempt to recreate this experience, BRC’s anti-gravity roll coaster would speed up a track, reaching a top speed of 100 mph (161 km) before it would then suddenly decelerate, jolting the passengers out of their seats and leaving them in suspended air – they would still be loosely belted into their seats, however. This is then maintained for several seconds as the coaster begins it backwards drop from the top of the tracks. A programed computer system ensures that the coaster matches the speed of the falling passengers, thus creating the sensation of weightlessness.
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