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DATE:21/12/04
SOURCE:Flight International
Chartered II-76 to provide zero gravity

For those who cannot afford $50 million to go into space on board a Russian rocket and cannot wait for Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic spaceships to take off, Swedish Xero Experience is offering the weightless adventure as early as next year, in partnership with organisations MirCorp and Swedish Space Corp. The Kiruna-based company will make use of a chartered Ilyushin Il-76, used by Russian cosmonauts to train in weightlessness. The aircraft will produce 30s periods of weightlessness while flying a parabolic trajectory, descending from 29,300ft (9,000m) to 19,000ft. The fare will be €4,000 ($5,290).

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